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Pioneer  Evangelism 


or 


Experiences  and  Observations 
at  Home  and  Abroad 


By 

H.  M.  RIGGLE 

Author  of  Man,  His  Present  and  Future;  Christian  Bap- 
tism; The  Sabbath  and  the  Lord's  Day;  The  Christian 
Church,  Its  Rise  and  Progress;  etc. 


Gospel  Trumpet  Co., 


Anderson,  Ind. 


Copyright  1924 

by 

Gospel  Trumpet  Company 


INTRODUCTION 

The  antecedent  step  in  accomplishing  anything 
worth  while  is,  first,  to  make  a  forcible  impres- 
sion upon  the  mind  and,  second,  to  persuade  the 
conscience  that  the  thing  is  right.  The  mind  and 
conscience  of  man  are  like  water,  which  sparkles 
when  it  runs,  but  stagnates  in  still  pools.  The 
following  pages,  carefully  i^ead,  will  arouse  your 
mind  and  conscience  and  cause  you  to  think  sober- 
ly; for  they  teach  that  happiness  which  is  sub- 
stantial and  lasting  is  not  the  product  of  riches 
or  indulgence,  but  of  correct  living  before  Grod 
and  humanity. 

History  is  replete  with  instances  where  a  slave 
has  been  happier  than  his  master,  because  license 
or  indulgence  does  not  yield  the  pleasant  fruitage 
as  does  hon,est  toil.  This  book  is  a  lesson  of  in- 
telligent activity.  Its  author  (whose  preaching 
marked  a  new  mile-stone  in  my  life),  being  a 
man  of  unquestionable  Christian  character,  gives 
immediatiC  weight  to  either  his  spoken  or  his  writ- 
ten words;  and  his  long  years  of  constant  labor  as 
a  teacher  of  moral  ethics  in  America,  Europe, 
Egypt,  Palestine,  and  Syria,  as  well  as  an  author 
of  many  standard  books  on  Bible  fundamentals, 
will,  in  my  opinion,  make  this  work,  not  only  a 
valuable  addition  to  religious  literature,  but  a  set- 
ter in  motion  of  influences  and  ideas  the  moral  up- 

3 


4 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


lift  of  which  will  be  felt  long  after  the  author  lies 
in  his  bed  of  dust. 

The  accounts  of  Brother  Biggie's  extensive  trav- 
els through  the  land  of  sacred  story,  his  care- 
ful observations,  and  the  new,  up-to-date  facts  and 
figures  he  gives,  are  a  most  valuable  part  of  this 
book.  There  is  a  freshness  in  the  descriptions 
given.  Really,  this  book  is  different  from  others, 
and  from  the  first  page  to  the  last  an  intense  in- 
terest grasps  the  reader.  Among  the  brokien 
arches,  crumbled  pillars,  and  desecrated  altars, 
the  author  has  discovered  that  hope  still  exists 
in  the  human  heart,  and  that  true  religion  is  not 
dependent  upon  sacred  rites,  forms,  and  cere- 
monies, but  upon  the  reception  of  the  living  Christ 
into  the  soul  of  man. 

The  author  by  a  pure  life  and  hard  work  has 
earned  for  himself  a  place  in  the  church,  a  place 
in  the  affections  of  the  people ;  and  I  am  confident 
that  all  who  read  these  pages  will  become  better 
men  and  women,  better  home-builders,  and  better 
citizens  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

J.  Grant  Anderson. 

Franklin,  Pa. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Introduction   l   3 

EARLY  LIFE 

Early  Kecollections   11 

Influences  of  a  Christian  Mother   15 

An  Unsatisfactory  Eeligion   19 

Meeting  the  Present  Truth   23 

Example  of  Others    26 

The  Meeting  that  Won  My  Heart   28 

REMINISCENCES  COVERING  TWENTY-SEVEN  YEARS 

My  Conversion    33 

Feeling  the  Need  of  a  ''Second  Grace"   36 

Seeking  Entire  Sanctification    40 

Baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost   45 

Called  to  Gospel  Work   47 

How  I  Preached  My  First  Sermon   49 

Given  the  Gift  of  Prophecy   53 

My  First  Camp-Meeting   58 

Opening,  New  Fields  of  Work   60 

Experiences  in  Pioneer  Work   67 

Hardships  Along  the  Way   71 

Bitter  Persecutions    75 

My  Ordination    78 

Methods  of  Work  in  Pioneer  Days   78 

Early  Preaching   81 

Some  of  My  Mistakes    85 

On  the  Floating  Bethel   89 

Amusing  Incidents  Along  the  Way   91 

Experiences  with  Accusations    94 

Door  of  Entrance  for  Accusations   96 

Victory  Over  Accusations    98 

The  Blessing  of  a  Good  Wife   99 

Afflicted  for  Seven  years   100 

Lessons  Learned  in  Affliction   101 

Miraculously  Healed    103 

Healings  and  Miracles    105 

Taking  the  Humble  Side    108 

General  Evangelistic  Work    109 

A  Busy  Life   110 

Ten  Years'  Pastoral  Work   112 

My  Public  Discussions   115 

Feeling  Utter  Dependence  upon  God   119 

Definite  Answers  to  Prayer    120 

5 


6 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


EASTWARD  BOUND;  NINETEEN  WEEKS  ON  LAND 


AND  SEA 

Called  to  Foreign  Fields   129 

A  Definite  Call  to  Syria  and  the  Holy  Land   130 

The  Farewell  Service   131 

On  the  Broad  Atlantic   135 

Laughable  Experiences  in  England   136 

Evangelistic  Meetings  in  the  British  Isles   141 

Places  of  Interest    144 

Travels  in  France   146 

A  Warm  Welcome  in  Germany   150 

Eevivals  in  Switzerland    153 

Climbing  the  Alps    155 

In  the  Land  of  the  Caesars    156 

On  the  Blue  Mediterranean    168 

Landing  in  Egypt    169 

In  the  Land  of  the  Pharaohs   169 

A  Nine  Days'  Tour  of  Palestine   172 

ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  IN  SYRIA  AND  THE 
HOLY  LAND 

Our  Arrival  at  Beirut   197 

Our  New  Field  of  Labor   198 

The  Commendable  Work  We  Found   204 

Getting  Adjusted  to  New  Conditions   206 

Enlargement  of  the  Work   208 

Opening  New  Fields    213 

Unpleasant  Experiences  in  Pioneer  Work   222 

Accommodating  Ourselves  to  Conditions  as  We  Found  Them   226 

Facing  Bitter  Opposition  from  Every  Quarter   227 

Eising  Above  the  Difficulties    230 

The  Ministry  of  Healing  in  Syria   231 

Carrying  the  Work  into  Palestine   233 

Historic  Sights  in  Syria   235 

Some  of  Our  Observations    283 

Present  Eeturn  of  the  Jews  to  the  Holy  Land   287 

False  Theories  Eefuted    299 

Future  Outlook  for  the  Work  in  the  Near  East   321 

A  Brief  Outline  of  the  Field  and  Its  Workers   326 

The  Armenian  Work    328 

A  Summary  of  Our  Activities   330 

Our  Eeturn  to  the  Homeland   331 

An  Appreciation  from  Syria   334 

On  Board  SS.  Madona    340 

The  Great  Eesponsibility  and  Work  of  the  Church   345 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

FBOITTISFIECE 


H.  M.  Rig&le. 


REMmiSCENCES  COVERXNG  TWENTY-SEVEN  YEARS 

First  Evangrelistic  Company. 
H.  M.  Rig-g-le  while  afflicted. 


EASTWARD  BOUND;  NINETEEN  WEEKS  ON  I^AND  AND  SEA 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rigrgrle  and  son  George. 
William  Hopwood  and  family. 
Adam  Allan  and  family. 
Otto  Doebert  and  H.  M.  Riggrle. 
Ministers  at  Essen,  Germany. 

G.  K.  Ou'Zounian  and  family. 
Panoramic  view  of  the  "new"  Jerusalem. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rig-grle  and  son  Georgre  near  summit  of  the  Alps. 

H.  M.  Rigg-le  at  grave  of  William  Ebel. 
Pool  where  Philip  baptized  the  eunuch. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riggle  and  George  at  Leaning  Tower  of  Pisa. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIEI^D  IN  SYRIA  AND  THE  HOI.Y  I^AND 

Beautiful  scene  near  Emmaus. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riggle  and  George  on  Mount  Calvary. 
Wild  Moslems  in  parade. 
Nazareth  today. 

Eating  lunch  near  Jacob'^  Well. 

H.  M.  Riggle  baptizing  George  in  the  Jordan. 

Smyrna — in  ruins. 

Armenian  refugee  camp,  Beirut. 

Along  the  Dardanelles. 

Part  of  church  at  Constantinople. 

Athens  from  the  Acropolis. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riggle  and  son  George  in  Mohammedan,  Syrian,  and 

shepherd  dress. 
Church  of  God,  Beirut,  1923. 
Tripoli  Mission. 
Zahia  Aswad  and  her  mother. 
Mrs.  Areka  Salibian  and  child. 
Asma  Jureldini. 
Arexie  Salibian. 
Najeeb  Berberi. 
Antonius  Boody. 
Haleel  Zaude. 
Ibrihim  S.  Maloof. 
Yoseph  Abdo. 
Nellie  S.  Laughlin. 
Adele  Jureldini. 
John  D.  Crose  and  family. 
Bmil  Hollander. 


7 


EARLY  LIFE 


EARLY  LIFE 


EARLY  RECOLLECTIONS 

In  a  log  house  nestled  among  the  hills  of  western 
Pennsylvania,  U.  S.  A.,  on  Feb.  18,  1872,  I  was 
bom.  I  was  the  only  child  of  Gjeorge  W.  and 
Mary  Riggle.  Until  the  age  of  seventeen  my  life 
was  spent  on  the  farm.  I  often  heard  my  father 
relate  that  at  the  time  he  and  Mother  were  mar- 
ried, he  was  fifty  dollars  in  debt.  Soon  after  their 
marriage  they  purchased  our  farm  home,  108 
acres,  for  which  they  went  in  debt  about  three 
thousand  dollars. 

When  I  grew  to  boyhood,  it  fell  to  my  lot  to 
help,  by  hard  work,  to  pay  off  the  debt  on  the 
home.  At  the  age  of  twelve  I  was  cradling  wheat 
on  the  hillsides  and  mowing  grass  with  the  old- 
fashioned  scythe.  While  other  boys  in  the  neigh- 
borhood had  driving-horses  and  buggies,  I  nevjer 
enjoyed  these  privileges.  About  all  I  knew  was 
constant  toil,  and  was  sometimes  in  the  fields  by 
moonlight  as  well  as  by  sunlight.  But  I  thank 
God  today  that  such  wias  my  portion  in  life.  It 
ground  into  m^e  the  principle  of  climbing  to  use- 
fulness over  the  rough  road  of  difficulty  and  labor, 
and  also  taught  me  the  value  of  things.  I  learned 
by  experience  how  to  economize  and  make  a  little 
go  a  long  way.    Usually  what  people  get  without 

11 


12 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


corresponding  toil  and  sacrifice  is  very  little  ap- 
preciated. In  after  life,  when  I  had  a  family  of 
my  own,  I  continued  constantly  in  the  ministry, 
and  by  careful  management  we  were  able  to  ac- 
cumulate a  little  along  the  way. 

My  father  was  very  strict  in  discipline  and 
severe  in  punishment.  I  was  naturally  full  of 
mischief,  and  many  were  the  switchings  I  re- 
ceived. Sometimes  when  I  was  inclined  to  be 
naughty,  one  stern  look  from  my  father  was  suf- 
ficient. To  this  day  I  look  back  to  him  and  respect 
him  for  his  severity.  My  moth<er  was  very  tender 
and  sympathetic.  These  two  characteristics  in  my 
parents,  properly  blended  together,  made  an  ideal 
home  government. 

I  believe  I  can  remember  the  first  real  volitional 
sin  that  I  committed.  My  father  used  tobacco. 
He  kept  it  in  a  stand  drawer.  More  than  once 
when  he  was  going  to  the  field  to  work  he  said 
to  me:  ^' Don't  you  dare  touch  my  tobacco."  But 
my  nature  was  wild,  and,  after  he  was  gone,  I 
would  slip  in  to  the  drawer  and  take  some.  Once 
1  became  sick  from  chewing  the  filthy  weed. 
Father  said,  Herbert,  were  you  at  my  tobacco 
today? "  I  put  on  an  innocent  look  and  replied, 
^'No,  sir."  But  he  was  not  so  easily  put  off.  He 
looked  me  straight  in  the  eyes  and  kept  plying  the 
question.  Finally  my  countenance  betrayed  me, 
and  I  confessed.  A  whipping  followed;  but  that 
did  not  end  the  matter.    My  heart  condemned  me. 


EARLY  LIFE 


13 


I  felt  a  sense  of  guilt  upon  my  soul.  I  had  dis- 
obeyed, and  had  then  denied  it.  My  conscience 
reproved  me,  and  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  I 
felt  I  had  sinned  against  God.  This  was,  I  think, 
at  the  age  of  ten.  Oh,  I  have  often  since  that 
time  wished  I  had  yielded  to  the  voice  of  con- 
science, and  surrendered  my  heart  and  life  to  God. 
What  troubles  and  sorrows  of  after  life  I  should 
have  avoided!  I  here  wish  to  say  to  every  boy 
and  girl,  if  I  had  my  life  to  live  over  I  would 
give  it  to  Christ  in  my  young  days,  while  my 
heart  was  tender.  But,  alas!  like  many  others  I 
stifled  the  voice  of  conscience  and  plunged  deeper 
into  sin. 

It  may  sound  strange  to  some,  but  I  had  a 
natural  longing  to  be  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 
When  but  a  child  I  began  ''playing  preacher." 
Often  my  parents  went  visiting  and  left  me  at  home 
alone.  I  would  then  take  my  mother's  family 
Bible,  lay  it  upon  the  table,  and  preach  to  an 
imaginary  congregation.  I  did  this  scores  of  times. 
In  the  same  way  I  would  play  in  the  woods, 
and  in  the  fields.  This  natural  longing  followed 
me  all  the  years  of  my  sinful  career.  When  a 
grown  young  man  and  deep  in  sin,  I  would  quote 
texts  of  Scripture  and  exhort  others  to  do  right. 
Somehow  I  always  felt  that  some  day  I  would 
preach  the  gospel. 

I  started  to  school  when  five  years  of  age.  Un- 
til I  was  twelve,  I  learned  very  rapidly.    Then  a 


14 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


careless  streak  crossed  my  life,  and  for  three  years 
I  cared  little  for  study.  I  used  to  write  on  my 
boot-legs  the  answers  in  my  geography  and  his- 
tory lessons,  and  then  read  them  to  the  teacher. 
1  would  advise  young  folk  not  to  do  similarly;  for 
it  is  valuable  time  wasted.  At  sixteen  I  began  to 
realize  what  I  had  lost  by  such  actions,  and  began 
to  study  with  all  my  might.  At  sevent,een  I  had 
passed  ail  the  branches  of  common-school  and  one 
branch  of  high-school  study.  How  often  I  have 
regretted  the  fact  that  I  spent  three  years  care- 
lessly ! 

Youth  is  the  most  important  period  of  life.  The 
foundation  of  future  years  is  here  laid.  Influences 
are  in  youth  set  in  motion  that  will  follow  us  all 
through  our  earthly  pilgrimage.  Hiabits  are  form- 
ed which  in  after  years  are  not  easily  shaken  off. 
The  seed  we  here  sow  will  produce  a  bountiful 
harvest  in  later  years.  It  is  certain  we  shall  reap 
what  we  sow.  The  greatest  regret  I  have  is  that 
T  did  not  begin  to  serve  Grod  earlier  in  life.  Had 
I  the  chance  to  turn  back  the  wheels  of  time  to 
childhood's  happy  days,  I  would  never  spend  one 
day  in  sin.  Had  I  ten  thousand  lives  to  live,  I 
would  give  them  all  to  Christ.  To  this  hour  I  am 
fighting  battles  and  struggling  with  difficulties  I 
should  never  have  known  had  I  begun  the  true 
Christian  life  in  childhood.  Boys  and  girls,  re- 
member now  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy  youth, 
while  the  evil  days  come  not,  nor  the  years  draw 


EARLY  LIFE 


15 


nigh,  when  thou  shalt  say,  I  have  no  pleasure  in 
them.''  ''Seek  yes  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
his  righteousness;  and  all  these  things  shall  be 
added  unto  you.''  During  my  ministry,  a  man 
who  had  always  lived  in  sin  was  converted  at 
the  age  of  seventy-eight.  In  his  case  a  soul  was 
saved.  At  another  time  a  boy  of  mght  years 
publicly  consecrated  his  life  to  the  Lord.  In  this 
latter  case,  a  life  as  well  as  a  soul  was  saved. 
How  much  better! 


INFLUENCES  OF  A  CHRISTIAN  MOTHER 

Our  mothers  fill  one  of  the  most  responsible 
places  in  the  world.  They  stand  higher  than  the 
presidents  of  republics,  than  the  kings  of  na- 
tions. Many  of  the  world's  greatest  men  have 
declared  that  they  owed  their  success  in  life  to 
the  influence  of  their  mothers.  A  true  mother's 
love  is  stronger  than  death.  I  quote  the  follow- 
ing touching  tribute  to  MOTHER  from  the  pen 
of  J.  Grant  Anderson: 

"A  mother's  love  surpasses  every  other  earthly 
element.  It  was  she  who  felt  the  first  quickening 
pulse  of  the  new  life  that  was  to  be.  It  was  she 
to  whom  our  infant  eyes  were  first  uplifted,  and 
the  name  *  Mamma'  was  th^e  first  word  that  fell 
from  our  lips.  It  was  she  wiho  waited  at  mid- 
night when  the  candle  of  life  flickered,  and  when 
the  issue  like  a  pendulum  swung  between  life  and 
death.   Her  love  is  the  connecting  link  which  binds 


16 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


humanity  together.  Humanity  never  comes  so 
near  the  Divine  as  when  maternity  is  wrapped  in 
holy  human  love.  The  sister  turns  away  the  way- 
ward brother;  the  father's  pity  has  its  limitations 
and  soon  he  says,  'Go,  you  are  a  disgrace  to  my 
name  and  to  my  family';  but,  'My  mother's  prayers 
have  followed  m^e  the  whole  world  through.' 

''The  wicked  world  turns  from  the  haggard,  dis- 
graced man.  He  is  put  in  prison,  and  despised 
by  society  and  former  companions.  But  Mother 
visits  him  still.  She  kneels  outside  wh,en  the  gal- 
lows' trap  drops  that  day,  and  prays  as  only  a 
mother  can  pray  that  God,  some  way,  somehowi, 
will  forgive  her  wayward  boy.  She  combs  his 
bair,  places  a  rose  upon  his  breast,  kisses  his 
darkened  brow,  and  then  at  last  puts  a  wreath 
upon  his  grave.  Verily  she  is  the  first  to  greet 
him  in  this  life,  and  the  last  one  to  leave  him  in 
death." 

The  following  beautiful  poem  by  T.  H.  Nelson 
expresses  a  mother's  love  to  her  wayward  daugh- 
ter: 

* '  Once  she  was  pure  as  the  sunbeam, 
My  noble  affectionate  child; 
The  idol  of  all  who  beheld  her, 

Though  prone  to  be  thoughtless  and  wild. 

"My  cares  were  made  light  by  her  prattle, 
Her  presence  turned  winter  to  June; 
But  alas,  for  my  fond  expectation, 
My  visions  are  vanished  too  soon. 

*'0h,  who  could  have  thought  that  my  darling 
Could  have  fallen  so  soon  and  so  low 
From  the  heights  of  her  lofty  ambition 

To  the  depths  of  dishonor  and  woe!   ^  ; 


EARLY  LIFE 


17 


"0  God,  if  there  is  power  in  thy  mercy, 
Restore  my  lost  child  to  my  arms. 
Though  her  sins  be  as  crimson  or  scarlet, 
She  still  to  her  mother  has  charms. 

"Though  far  o'er  the  mountains  of  folly 

Thou  hast  roamed  with  companions  so  wild, 
I  love  thee  as  dearly  as  ever, 
My  own  precious  prodigal  child. 

"My  home  and  my  heart's  true  affection 
Are  waiting  to  welcome  thee  still. 
Come  back  to  thy  Savior  and  Mother, 
And  peace  will  thy  troubled  heart  fill. 

"I  can  not  but  love  thee,  my  darling, 
Though  sinful  and  fallen  thou  art. 
The  memory  of  days  now  departed 
Is  breaking  thy  poor  mother's  heart. 

"Thy  Savior  still  waits  to  be  gracious; 
Thy  mother  still  waits  to  forgive. 
Come  back  from  thy  wanderings  my  daughter, 
And  a  life  of  full  usefulness  live. 

"Oh,  turn  from  thy  wanderings  my  darling, 
No  more  in  sin's  wilderness  roam; 
Come  back  to  thy  Savior  and  Mother, 
And  the  joys  that  await  thee  at  home." 

I  was  blessed  with  a  true  C[liristian  mother. 
AAHien  but  a  child  I  sat  at  her  knee  while  she  read 
to  me  stories  from  her  large  Bible.  She  read 
about  the  creation,  about  the  flood,  about  how  the 
children  of  Israel  passed  through  the  sea  dry-shod, 
the  story  of  Daniel  in  the  lions'  den,  and  of  Jonah. 
She  knew  nothing  about  the  evolution  theory,  nor 
the  higher  critic's  objections.  She  believed  her  Bi- 
ble, the  virgin  birth  and  all.  Oh,  the  simple,  pure 
faith  of  Mother  in  her  Bible!  She  instilled  that 
faith  into  my  young  mind  and  heart.  Thank  God 
it  is  there  today.    The  Bible  has  been  the  book  of 


18 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


my  most  careful  and  diligent  study  for  more  than 
thirty  years.  The  more  I  read  it  and  compare  its 
teachings  with  the  new  modem  theories,  the  more 
I  am  confirmed  in  the  faith  that  Mother  taught 
me.  On  her  dying  bed  she  said,  ^^GTive  my  boy 
my  old  family  Bible  as  a  last  token  of  my  love.'' 
Among  the  hundreds  of  valuable  books  that  com- 
pose my  library,  there  is  one  that  I  prize  above 
all  the  rest,  it  is  my  mother's  dying  gift— her 
Bible. 

My  mother  taught  me  the  little  prayer 

^'Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep, 
I  pray  thee  Lord  my  soul  to  keep. 
If  I  should  die  before  I  wake, 
I  i)ray  thee  Lord  my  soul  to  take. 
This  I  ask  for  Jesus'  sake.  Amen." 

Today  I  am  past  fifty-one  years  of  age,  and 
eviery  night  when  I  retire  I  repeat  this  simple 
prayer.  Mother  prayed  it  over  a  thousand  times, 
and  I  have  repeated  it  probably  more  than  seven- 
teen thousand  times.  If  I  live  to  be  an  old  man, 
with  tottering  step,  leaning  on  my  staff  as  I  come 
bending  to  the  tomb,  I  will  still  be  uttering  this 
little  prayer  that  mother  gave  me  when  I  was  but  a 
child. 

Once  when  a  young  man,  steeped  in  sin,  I  was 
brought  low  under  the  heavy  hand  of  affliction. 
I  was  near  death.  I  shall  never  forget  how  mother 
knelt  by  my  couch  and,  with  her  eyes  filled  with 
tears,  said,  Herbert,  you  may  have  to  die.  Oh, 
Jiow  is  it  with  your  soul!   You  can't  die  like  this. 


EARLY  LIFE 


19 


Give  Clirist  your*  heart  and  be  saved. ' '  I  melted. 
My  heart  began  to  break.  I  then  and  there  prom- 
ised God  that  if  he  would  spare  my  life,  I  would 
some  day  serve  him. 

Mother  was  a  praying  woman.  Many  times 
while  going  about  her  daily  toils,  she  would  be 
either  singing  a  hymn  or  uttering  a  prayer.  These 
influences  I  never  shook  off.  They  followed  me 
all  through  my  sinful  career,  and  today  they  exert 
a  directing  power  in  my  life.  As  I  pen  these 
lines,  memory  goes  back  over  the  lapse  of  thirty 
years  to  the  death-bed  of  my  sainted  mother. 
Just  before  she  expired  she  looked  up  and  said, 
^^I  see  heaven  opened  and  the  glory  of  God 
descending.''  She  testified  sh^e  was  *  Agoing  to 
dwell  with  Christ."  Among  her  last  words  she 
said,  **Tell  my  boy  [I  was  then  in  the  far  West] 
to  be  true  to  God  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet." 
This  charge  I  expect,  by  God's  grace,  to  keep. 

AN  UNSATISFACTORY  RELIGION 

From  infancy  I  was  brought  up  in  religion. 
We  were  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church.  All  my  people  on  my  father's  side  of 
the  house  were  of  this  persuasion.  My  mother 
had  been  converted  in  a  Wesleyan  meeting,  and 
was  a  Lutheran  only  by  marriage,  a  Lutheran  in 
form  but  not  at  heart.  When  but  three  months 
old  I  was  carried  to  the  altar,  where  Reverend 
Sarver  sprinkled  me  for  baptism,   and  I  was 


20 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


christened  Herbert  McClellan  Eiggle.  I  had  no 
choice  of  my  own  in  the  matter.  In  later  years 
my  father  explained  to  me  that  I  had  been  bap- 
tized when  a  baby.  This  was  all  I  ever  knew 
about  it. 

I  never  was  satisfied  with  this  rite  that  had 
been  imposed  upon  me,  in  which  I  had  no  will 
or  choice  of  my  own.  As  I  grew?  to  years  I  be- 
came settled  in  the  conviction  that  in  the  impor- 
tant matters  which  pertain  to  our  eternal  salva- 
tion, our  parents  can  not  act  for  us.  When  Moses 
came  to  years,    be  chose"  for  himself. 

That  doctrine  which  teaches  that  in  the  sacra- 
ment of  baptism  the  parents  give  their  child  to 
God,  at  which  time  it  is  bom  again,  its  name 
written  in  heaven,  and  it  then  made  a  member 
of  the  church,  and  needs  no  change  of  heart  when 
arriving  at  the  years  of  the  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil,  is  contrary  to  every  principle  laid  down 
in  the  gospel  of  Christ.  But  I  was  catechized  in 
this  very  faith.  At  somewhere  near  the  age  of 
twelve  I  was  sent  to  our  minist,er,  and  given  a 
regular  course  of  catechetical  lectures.  Then  I 
was  confirmed,  and  ever  after  considered  a  church- 
member  in  good  standing.  After  confirmation,  I 
was  supposed  to  receive  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  Supper.  This  I  refused  to  do.  I  attended 
* ^ preparatory  services,"  at  which  time  we  were 
taught  that  we  received  absolution  or  forgive- 
ness through  the  pastor  as  of  God  himself,  in 


EARLY  LIFE 


21 


no  wise  doubting  that  our  sins  were  thus  for- 
given before  God  in  heaven.^'  But  I  knew  in  my 
heart  that  I  was  not  right  with  God,  and  during 
the  twenty  years  I  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Society  I  never  went  to  the  communion  table  once. 

In  the  community  where  I  lived  there  was  a 
congregation  of  Wesleyan  Methodists  and  Mjen- 
nonite  Brethren  in  Christ.  Both  these  bodies  wor- 
shiped together  in  the  same  church-house.  They 
taught  real  experimental  religion,  and  had  power- 
ful revival-meetings.  Some  of  these  people  lived 
what  they  professed,  and  this  convinced  me  that 
my  religion  was  only  a  form.  I  longed  to  be  con- 
verted; but  our  pastor  informed  me  that  my  con- 
version took  place  at  my  baptism  when  three 
months  old.  Our  church  motto  read:  ''A  well- 
organized  church  needs  no  revival.''  Bring 
up  the  child  in  the  way  he  should  go."  Once  I 
ventured  to  go  forward  to  the  ^'mourners'  bench" 
in  a  Wesl,eyan  revival.  I  sought  the  Lord  earnest- 
ly; but  no  one  could  tell  me  how  to  accept  par- 
don by  faith.  Some  seekers  went  to  the  ^' bench" 
as  many  as  forty  nights,  and  then  all  did  not  ob- 
tain the  blessing.  I  did  not  have  th^  courage  to 
go  so  long  and  so  often;  so  gave  up  in  despair. 

From  infancy  I  was  a  diligent  church-goer.  And 
our  people  were  taught  to  reverence  th^  place  of 
worship.  Outside  the  church-building  the  members 
would  joke,  jest,  and  frequently  use  profane  lan- 
guage; but  the  moment  we  stepped  over  the  thresh- 


22 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


old  of  the  church  door,  a  sacred  awe  came  over  us, 
and  scarcely  a  move  or  whisper  could  be  observed. 
I  still  like  this  reverential  feeling  for  th^e  place  of 
worship,  and  really  wish  there  were  more  of  it. 
It  is  a  good  thing.  But  our  trouble  was,  we  had 
merely  the  form,  and  were  without  the  life  and 
power  of  real,  vital  salvation.  After  we  stepped 
outside  of  the  church,  all  the  sacredness  was  gone, 
and  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  members  to  in- 
dulge in  profanity  and  other  bad  language  on  the 
way  home  from  church.  Some  of  the  members  of 
our  congregation,  even  some  of  the  officers,  were 
among  the  most  profane  and  wicked  m,en  of  the 
whole  community.  Out  of  an  assembly  of  about 
three  hundred,  there  were  only  four  who  prayed  in 
public;  and  when  none  of  these  four  nor  the  pas- 
tor was  present,  we  both  opened  and  closed  ser- 
vices without  prayer.  Our  pastor  was  a  tobacco- 
user,  and  we  always  looked  forward  to  the  Fourth 
of  July  Sunday-school  celebration  as  a  time  to  hear 
him  tell  some  good  funny  stories  and  crack  some 
big  jokes.'' 

Ours  was  a  ^'sin  you  must''  religion.  When  holi- 
ness was  first  taught  in  the  neighborhood,  our 
minister  felt  it  was  his  duty  to  defend  "the  faith 
of  our  fathers"  against  the  new  heresy,  and  he 
preached  a  strong  sermon  in  favor  of  sin,  selecting 
for  the  text  1  John  1:8.  Among  other  things,  he 
said,  ' '  None  of  us  can  ever  expect  to  be  better  than 
the  sinner  David. ' '   I  shall  never  forget  his  prayer. 


•EARLY  LIFE 


23 


It  ran  something  like  this :  ' '  0  God,  we  have  griev- 
ously sinned  against  thee.  We  have  left  undone 
those  things  which  we  should  have  done.  We  have 
done  what  thou  hast  forbidden.  We  have  made 
many  crooked  paths.  Enter  thou  not  into  judg- 
ment with  us  because  of  our  manifold  transgres- 
sions. If  thou  shouldst  remember  our  many  sins, 
who  could  stand  in  thy  sight?"  Of  course  we  were 
sinners,  and  the  preacher's  sermon  did  not  help  us 
out,  but  virtually  justified  us  in  continuing  in  such  a 
life.  Oh,  the  blindness  of  such  teaching!  Though 
wicked  and  ungodly  myself,  I  always  admired  the 
lives  of  others  who  triumphed  over  sin.  In  my 
heart  I  longed  for  a  more  satisfactory  religion. 
MEETING  THE  "PRESENT  TRUTH" 
In  the  winter  of  1888-89,  Bro.  Geo.  T.  Clayton 
and  Charles  Koonce  cam^e  into  our  community, 
near  Cochran's  Mills,  Armstrong  Co.,  Pa.,  preach- 
ing what  was  generally  termed  ^^a  new  doctrine," 
that  was  *  burning  the  world  upside  down."  Re- 
ports flew  thick  and  fast  about  thes,e  holiness 
folks"  that  were  coming.  Some  said,  ^'They  claim 
to  be  better  than  Christ,"  and  Wings  are  grow- 
ing on  their  shoulders,  so  that  ere  long  they  will 
fly  away." 

I  was  a  boy  sixteen  years  old,  and  the  first 
night  of  the  service  walked  four  miles  to  the 
meeting.  I  went  mostly  out  of  curiosity.  Brother 
Clayton  preached.  I  think  he  read  about  fifty 
texts  of  Scripture.  The  reference  method  of  preach- 


24 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


ing  wias  generally  used  among  the  brethren  thjen. 
He  presented  a  point,  then  proved  it  by  a  text 
out  of  the  Bible;  and  it  s,eemed  that  each  text 
explained  the  previous  one.  I  never  before  heard 
such  preaching.  That  first  sermon  made  a  dieep 
impression  on  my  mind.  I  said  to  the  boys  on 
the  way  home  from  the  meeting,  ^^That  man 
preaches  the  Bible.  He  proves  everything  by  the 
Word  of  God/' 

I  went  the  second  night.  Brother  Koonce 
j)reached  on  the  subject  of  the  church.  My  wife 
(or  the  girl  who  later  became  my  wife,  then  a 
girl  of  fourteen)  and  her  father  rod^  horseback 
several  miles  to  this  meeting.  They  were  holi- 
ness people  who  belonged  to  the  Mennonite 
Brethren  in  Christ.  At  the  close  of  the  sermon 
an  invitation  was  given,  and  my  wife's  father 
went  forward  to  the  altar.  I  watched  and  listened. 
Brother  Clayton  asked  him,  *^Have  you  come  to 
be  saved?"  ^*No,"  he  replied,  am  saved." 
^*Do  you  desire  to  consecrate  for  entire  sancti- 
fication?"  **No,  I  am  sanctified."  *^Then  what 
are  you  here  for?"  I  shall  never  forget  the  reply: 
^'I  am  here  to  consecrate  out  of  sect-Biabylon. " 
That  night  settled  it  with  him.  My  father-in-law 
was  the  first  one  in  the  neighborhood  to  take  a 
firm  stand  outside  of  human  organizations,  and 
soon  his  entire  family  and  many  others  followed. 
During  that  meeting  a  considerable  congregation 
was  raised  up  for  the  present  truth. 


EARLY  LIFE  25 


A  few  weeks  later  Bro.  D.  S.  Warner  and  com- 
pany came.  They  arrived  in  spring-wagons  from 
Blanco,  Pa.,  a  distance  of  about  thirty  miles.  I 
was  working  with  my  father  in  the  field  when 
they  passed  down  the  road  singing  "The  River 
of  Peace''  and  shouting  "halleluiah."  We  never 
before  witnessed  such  a  scene.  I  attended  all  the 
services.  The  spiritual  singing  from  "Songs  of 
Victory"  and  "Anthems  from  the  Throne"  simply 
captured  us.  We  had  never  heard  such  beautiful 
singing.  Brother  Warner's  preaching  was  all 
doctrinal.  In  the  midst  of  his  sermons  sometimes 
nearly  all  those  who  believed  as  he  did  were  on 
their  feet  with  uplifted  hands  and  shining  faces 
shouting  and  praising  God.  It  was  not  unusual 
for  Brother  Warner  to  leap  and  shout  in  the  pul- 
pit. All  this  was  new  and  strange  to  us;  but  I 
was  never  able  to  shake  off  the  convictions  which 
fastened  on  my  h^eart  that  these  people  had  a 
genuine  heart-felt  religion,  and  preached  the  clean, 
Bible  truth.  In  my  heart  I  said,  "I  w^ant  their 
kind  of  religion." 

Later,  oth^er  companies  of  evangelists  came, 
among  them  A.  J.  Kilpatrick,  S.  L.  Speck,  J.  A. 
Dillon,  and  Wm.  G.  Schell.  I  attended  all  their 
meetings,  and  became  more  and  more  convinced 
of  the  truth  they  preached.  But  all  this  time  I 
was  a  Lutheran  in  form.  To  keep  in  with  the 
popular  crowd,  I  even  made  light  of  these  new 
preachers  and  people,  and  professed  to  be  against 


26 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


them,  while  deep  in  my  heart  I  admired  them  and 
their  teachings,  and  longed  to  cast  my  lot  with 
the  true  church  of  God.  I  am  qertain  there  are 
thousands  just  like  I  was.  In  their  hearts  they 
are  convinced  of  the  teaching,  but  are  ashamed 
and  afraid  to  acknowledge  it  publicly. 


EXAMPLE  OF  OTHERS 

The  great  apostle  Paul  said,  ''Those  things, 
which  ye  have  both  learned,  and  received,  and 
heard,  and  seen  in  me,  do:  and  the  God  of  peace 
shall  be  with  you.''  Again,  he  sp^eaks  thus,  **Ye 
have  us  for  an  example."  Jesus  laid  down  this 
principle  and  set  forth  the  responsibility  of  the 
church,  ''Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that 
they  may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your 
father  which  is  in  heaven.'' 

It  was  not  the  preaching  alone  that  convinced 
me  of  the  true  Bible  way.  A  number  of  people 
accepted  the  truth,  and  a  good-sized  congregation 
was  established  in  our  neighborhood.  All  eyes 
were  turned  upon  them;  for  much  more  was  ex- 
pected of  those  who  made  such  a  high  profession 
than  of  the  other  people.  Thus  these  were  a 
"gazing-stock"  for  the  public.  How  carefully  we 
observed  their  every  word  and  act! 

This  shows  the  responsibility  and  relation  of  the 
church  as  a  whole.  The  assembly  is  judged  by 
the  individual  life  of  each  member.    If  the  life 


EARLY  LIFE 


27 


is  abov,e  reproach,  clean  and  pure,  then  the  local 
work  as  a  whole  commands  confidence  and  respect. 
But  if  the  deportment  of  the  one  with  whom  the 
observer  comes  in  contact  is  not  commendable, 
then  he  is  inclined  to  lose  confidence  in  the  assem- 
bly with  whom  that  one  worships.  This  is  always 
the  result.  And  the  same  is  true  of  the  congre- 
gation as  a  whole.  The  general  or  universal  church 
is  judged  by  the  local  assembly.  If  the  assembly 
is  made  up  of  all  saved,  spiritual  members,  in 
love  and  unity  with  each  other,  then  the  observers 
of  that  community  will  judge  the  whole  cause 
by  the  spiritual  state  of  the  local  part.  You  see, 
each  member,  and  each  assembly,  is  a  part  of  the 
whole.  So  the  whole  is  judged  by  that  part  which 
falls  under  the  people's  observation. 

Now  this  was  the  exact  truth  in  my  case.  I 
looked  carefully  into  the  lives  of  those  with  whom 
I  came  in  contact,  and  I  reckoned  that  they  were 
a  sample  of  all  the  rest.  We  stand  on  the  bank 
of  a  river  and  judge  the  entire  stream  by  what 
flows  before  us.  A  preacher  from  western  Texas 
was  holding  meetings  on  the  eastern  coast  of 
Florida.  How  he  enjoyed  the  Atlantic  Ocean!  He 
thought,  ^'If  Wife  and  the  children  could  only 
see  this!"  Then  an  idea  came  into  his  mind.  He 
saw  the  neck  of  a  bottle  sticking  out  of  the  sand. 
He  pulled  the  bottle  out,  carefully  washed  it  clean, 
filled  it  from  the  briny  deep,  placed  it  in  his 
satchel,  and  carried  it  home.    With  delight  he 


28 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


said  to  his  family,  ''This  is  a  part  of  th^e  Atlantic 
Ocean  and  the  rest  is  just  like  this/' 

The  brethren  who  embraced  the  whole  truth  in 
the  community  where  I  lived  carried  out  every 
principle  in  their  lives.  They  lived  before  my 
eyes  the  very  things  that  th,ey  publicly  professed. 
I  liked  to  mingle  with  them.  I  saw  the  beauties 
and  glories  of  a  true  Christian  religion.  It  Was 
demonstrated  in  a  practical  way.  Many  times  I 
said,  ^'This  is  the  religion  that  appeals  to  me.'* 

In  our  neighborhood  lived  a  man  who  bitterly 
opposed  the  brethren.  He  especially  persecuted 
my  father-in-law.  F'rom  the  man's  actions  you 
would  conclude  that  he  had  no  confidence  in  my 
father-in-law.  But  after  a  time  he  became  very 
sick  and  was  expected  to  die.  The  first  one  he  sent 
for  was  my  father-in-law.  When  the  latter  en- 
tered his  room,  the  dying  man  said,  Jacob,  I 
have  sent  for  you  to  help  me  and  to  pray  for 
me.  I  have  always  believed  that  if  there  is  a 
genuine  Christian  in  this  country,  you  ar.e  that 
man."  It  pays  to  live  right  under  every  cir- 
cumstance. 


THE  MEETING  THAT  WON  MY  HEART 

Solomon  said,  * '  Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters : 
for  thou  shalt  find  it  after  many  days."  I  have 
learned  through  tliirty  years  of  active  ministerial 
labor  that  very  often  when  we  think  we  have 
accomplished  the  least  is  the  very  time  when  we 


EARLY  LIFE 


29 


have  perforiAed  exploits  for  God.  Those  times 
when  I  considered  I  had  made  my  greatest  fail- 
ures in  the  pulpit,  is  when  people  came  to  me 
and  expressed  how  wonderfully  they  were  bene- 
fited by  the  sermon.  Many  times  I  have  gone 
home  from  meeting  and  said,  ^'0  Wife,  I  made  a 
terrible  failure  out  of  it  today!  My  God,  why 
is  this!''  And  to  my  surprize  sh^e  would  reply, 
**Tha,t  was  the  best  sermon  you  have  preached 
in  a  long  time.'' 

I  think  this  was  true  of  the  meeting  that  won 
more  hearts  to  the  truth  than  any  other  ever 
held  in  our  home  neighborhood.  For  two  years 
the  work  had  been  established,  and  many  com- 
panies of  evangelists  had  h^eld  meetings  there. 
But  still  the  minds  of  the  rest  of  the  people  were 
not  settled  as  to  which  was  really  the  right  way. 
During  thes,e  two  years  two  young  ministers  of 
the  Pentecost  Band  movement  came  from  Illinois 
and  held  a  big  meeting.  They  bitterly  denounced 
the  brethren  and  the  Gospel  Trumpet,  and  de- 
clared that  it  was  *  *  comeoutism, "  *  *  no-sectism, " 
* ^ stand-aloneism, "  a  '^serpent-deceiving,  soul-de- 
stroying, hell-gla2ied  doctrine."  Their  seeming 
power  and  bold  public  denunciations  unsettled  a 
number  of  our  minds  for  the  time  being.  One 
of  these  preachers  afterwards  was  delivered  from 
evil  spirits  in  one  of  our  meetings  at  Grand  Junc- 
tion, Mich.  He  later  confessed  to  me  that  the 
timie  he  became  possessed  was  in  this  very  meet- 


30 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


ing  where  lie  so  radically  opposed  the  brethren 
and  the  Gospel  Trumpet. 

A  few  months  later  Brothers  Sehell  and  Dillon 
held  a  five-weeks'  grove-meeting  on  my  father-in- 
law's  farm,  which  was  attended  by  multitudes 
from  far  and  near.  Theiie  were  no  apparent  re- 
sults, and,  so  far  as  I  know,  there  was  not  a 
single  public  profession  made  during  the  entire 
meeting.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  ministers 
went  away  feeling  that  they  had  made  almost  a 
complete  failure.  But,  instead,  it  was  one  of  the 
most  successful  meetings  ever  held  there.  A  great 
number  were  fully  convinced  that  this  was  the 
true  Bible  way,  and  the  gospel  seed  was  sown  in 
many  hearts.  Among  those  convinced  were  my 
father,  mother,  and  I.  From  this  meeting  our 
family  ceased  to  worship  with  the  Lutheran  sect. 
While  we  did  not  publicly  take  our  stand  with  the 
church  of  God,  we  had  no  doubt  from  this  time 
on  but  what  the  movement  was  of  God,  and  that 
these  people  represented  the  true  church  of  the 
Bible, 


REMINISCENCES 
COVERING  TWENTY-SEVEN 
YEARS 


First  Evangelistic  Company 
Standing,  from  reader's  left,  Ora  Howard,  Belle  Sheldon 
Sitting,  H.  M.  Riggle  and  wife. 


H.  M.  Riggle  while  afflicted  (see  p.  100) 


REMINISCENCES  COVERING  TWENTY-SEVEN 

YEARS 

MY  CONVERSION 

In  the  fall  of  1891  we  moved  from  Pennsylvania 
to  Washington  State.  In  the  following  July  my 
father  met  with  an  accid<ent  and  was  instantly 
killed.  This  greatly  impressed  me  with  the  thought 
of  being  ready  to  meet  God.  It  had  much  to  do 
with  bringing  me  to  myself,  and  awakening  me 
to  a  realization  of  my  lost  condition.  We  re- 
turned East  the  same  year,  and  I  was  married. 
In  January,  1892,  during  a  revival  held  by 
Brothers  Clayton  and  Jacobson,  I  went  forward 
to  the  public  altar  and  yielded  myself  to  Christ. 
More  than  thirty  others  were  converted  in  the 
same  meeting. 

I  was  steeped  in  sin,  my  heart  was  like  adamant, 
and  at  first  I  could  not  pray.  One  thing  I  settled 
that  night  upon  my  knees  before  God— to  give 
up  sin  forever.  I  made  a  decision  that  has  stood 
by  me  to  this  hour.  I  attribute  at  least  one  half 
of  the  success  of  my  Christian  life  to  the  decision 
made  in  that  service.  A  fixed  decision,  coupled 
with  the  grace  of  God,  will  take  us  through. 

But  I  did  not  obtain  entire  satisfaction  tO'  my 
soul.  The  workers  did  not  know  how  wicked  was 
my  life  and  how  seared  was  my  conscience.  They 

33 


34 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


encouraged  me  to  believe  the  work  was  done,  and, 
after  some  effort,  I  helped  to  sing,  can,  I  will, 
I  do  believe  that  Jesus  saves  me  now/'  I  felt 
better,  and  arose  and  testified  to  my  determination 
to  serve  God.   But  my  heart  was  not  fully  broken. 

broken  and  contrite  spirit''  is  necessary  to  a 
thorough  repentance.  It  is  a  sad  mistake  to  hurry 
souls  through  at  the  altar.  I  hav,e  always  since 
been  an  advocate  of  thorough  altar-work.  The 
mistake  of  that  night  cost  me  years  of  intense 
suffering.  However,  I  made  a  public  start,  and 
this  coupled  with  my  determination,  helped  me  to 
keep  striving  ^'to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate,"  and 
keep  seeking  the  Lord  until  "he  rained  righteous- 
ness'' upon  me. 

A  few  weeks  after  this  meeting  my  wife  and 
I  moved  to  Bellingham,  Wash.  I  kept  on  search- 
ing and  feeling  after  God  "if  haply  I  might  find 
him."  The  climax  came  on^e  dark  night  in  a  log- 
ging-camp at  Goshen,  Wash.  I  was  in  the  midst 
of  as  wicked  a  crowd  of  men  as  I  had  ever  met. 
On  this  particular  night  they  were  seated  around 
card-tables  gambling  and  cursing  each  other.  All 
of  a  sudden,  without  any  apparent  provocation, 
the  head  man  of  the  camp  arose  from  his  seat 
and  began  pacing  back  and  forth  uttering  the 
most  horrid  oaths  I  ever  heard  fall  from  the  lips 
of  man.  He  cursed  God,  and  called  him  all  kinds 
of  bad  names,  and  then,  looking  up,  dared  the 
Almighty  to  touch  him.    I  became  affrighted,  and 


REMINISCENCES 


35 


expected  tliat  the  Lord  wiould  instantly  destroy 
the  place  as  he  did  Sodom,  and  we  should  all 
perish  together.  Just  at  this  moment  a  circum- 
stance happened  that  struck  the  arrows  of  con- 
viction deep  into  my  soul.  I  hastily  withdrew 
from  the  crowd  and  went  behind  a  curtain.  Fall- 
ing upon  my  knees  by  my  bedside,  I  began  call- 
ing mightily  upon  the  Lord  for  miercy.  I  there 
promised  God  that  if  he  would  save  me,  my  en- 
tire life  should  be  his  forevermore.  My  heart 
began  to  break,  and  the  tears  flowed  freely.  What 
a  load  of  guilt  pressed  down  upon  me!  It  seemed 
all  the  sins  of  my  past  life  came  before  me  like  a 
panorama. 

In  that  dark  hour  I  cried:  Where  shall  I  go? 
What  shall  I  doT^  It  seemed  as  though  my  life 
was  suspended  by  a  brittle  thread,  and  I  was  swing- 
ing over  the  vortex  of  hell.  I  trembled  like  a  leaf 
in  the  wind.  I  could  see  the  sword  of  justice  hang- 
ing over  me.  There  seemed  to  be  no  way  of  es- 
cape. But  above  the  elements,  that  would  seal  my 
doom  in  certain  perdition,  I  saw  a  faint  ray  of 
light,  and  a  tender  voice  said,  **Gome  unto  ME, 
I  will  give  you  rest.''  Oh,  thank  God  for  that 
invitation!  I  am  glad  I  ever  heard  it.  But  again 
I  cried,  *^I  am  lost.  I  am  lost."  The  same  gentle 
voice  once  more  rang  out,  **I  came  to  seek  and 
to  save  that  which  was  lost.''  At  that  instant 
hope  sprang  up  in  my  bosom,  and  I  began  to  see 
the  goodness  of  God  to  me,    I  saw!  how  he  had 


36 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


prolonged  my  days,  extended  to  me  his  mercy, 
and  now  so  lovingly  offered  to  save  me.  Oih, 
how  sorry  I  felt  that  I  had  ever  sinned  against 
such  a  loving  Christ.  I  wept  like  a  child.  Then 
and  there  I  bade  farewell  to  sin  forever.  I  died 
out  to  the  world  and  the  opinions  of  men.  I 
promised  Grod  to  follow  and  obey  him  at  all  times 
and  under  every  circumstance.  It  was  only  a  few 
moments  till  faith  sprang  up  in  my  heart  and  I 
said,  Jesus  saves  me.  I  am  his,  and  he  is  mine.'' 
Oh,  the  joy  that  filled  my  soul!  The  burden  of 
my  heart  rolled  away.  It  seemed  all  heaven  was 
near.  I  knew  my  sins  were  gone,  and  I  was 
God's  child.  Happy  day,  when  Jesus  washed 
my  sins  away!" 


FEELING  THE  NEED  OF  A  ''SECOND  GRACE" 

Paul  says  in  Eom.  5:1-5,  Therefore  being 
justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace  with  God  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ:  by  whom  also  we  have 
access  by  faith  into  this  grace  wherein  we  stand, 
and  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  God. 
.  .  .  Because  the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad 
in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  given 
unto  us."  Notice  the  language  of  this  text: 
Justified  by  faith  .  .  .  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ";  ^'Also  we  have  access  hy  faith  into  this 
grace  wherein  we  stand."  Here  are  two  graces: 
first,    justified";  second,  ^Hhis  grace  wherein  we 


REMINISCENCES 


37 


stand/'  in  which  ''the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad 
in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  given 
unto  us/'  The  reception  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
standing  grace,  is  a  second  experience.  It  is  sub- 
sequent to  ''being  justified/'  Both  graces  are 
entered  ' '  by  faith, ' '  and  both  are  ' '  through  Christ. ' ' 
There  is  a  twofold  entrance,  just  as  the  Jewish 
tabernacle  had  its  first  and  second  veil.  The  holy 
place  represented  justification.  The  holy  of  holies, 
entire  sanctification,  or  the  state  of  being  baptized 
by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Holiness  is  a  golden  thread  that  runs  through 
the  whole  fabric  of  gospel  truth.  It  is  the  climax 
of  full  salvation  from  sin,  and  is  attainable  in 
this  life.  By  departing  from  this  truth  the  early 
church  opened  the  doors  to  every  conceivable  error 
that  swept  to  and  fro  in  the  first  centuries  of  her 
history,  and  the  way  was  paved  for  the  great 
apostasy  that  has  cursed  Christianity  for  more 
than  fifteen  hundred  years.  True  holiness  is  des- 
tined to  restore  to  the  church  her  pristine  glory. 
It  is  on  the  "highway  of  holiness"  that  the  ran- 
somed of  the  Lord  are  now  returning  from  the 
low  plains  of  a  sin-you-must  religion  and  false 
Christianity  to  the  heights  of  Zion,  to  the  beau- 
tiful church  of  God,  gathered  back  into  primitive 
unity,  power,  and  victory. 

This  was  the  grand  theme  of  all  the  early 
X-)reachers  in  the  present  reformation  movement. 
They  made  holiness  the  great  center  of  the  work, 


38 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


and  urged  the  experience  upon  all.  I  was  imbued 
with  this  idea.  Even  before  I  heard  the  clear  teach- 
ing of  the  church  of  God  movement,  the  Wesleyans 
and  Mennonite  Brethren  in  Christ  in  our  com- 
munity had  taught  sanctification  as  a  second  work 
of  grace.  A  number  of  people  sought  and  obtained 
the  experience,  and  demonstrated  the  deeper  life 
before  my  eyes. 

The  teaching  of  the  Bible  on  this  subject  and 
my  comprehension  of  it  convicted  me  for  the  ex- 
perience. After  I  entered  the  holy  place  of  re- 
generation I  saw  no  chair,  couch,  or  stool  to  sit 
on.  There  was  here  no  place  to  linger.  The  only 
furniture  was  a  lamp  to  light  my  way,  a  table  of 
shew-bread— the  bread  of  life  to  nourish  my  soul— 
and  before  me  the  golden  altar,  Christ,  where  I 
was  instructed  to  present  my  body  a  living  sacri- 
fice so  that  I  might  "enter  into  the  holiest  [per- 
fected holiness]  by  the  blood  of  Jesus.*'  A  voice 
said:  *Go  on  unto  perfection,'  this  is  not  your 
abiding  place." 

There  was  something  else  besides  the  Bible 
teaching  that  prompted  me  to  seek  a  deeper  ex- 
perience of  grace.  It  was  a  foe  within.  I  knew 
that  my  sins  were  all  forgiven.  I  was  happy  in 
the  joy  of  pardon,  deliverance,  and  adoption.  A 
new  life  had  come  into  my  soul.  But  very  soon 
after  my  conversion  the  old  nature  began  to  assert 
itself.  It  was  manifest  in  various  ways,  but  es- 
pecially in  carnal  anger.    Before  I  was  saved  I 


REMINISCENCES 


39 


had  a  terrible,  almost  uncontrollable  temper.  This 
was  my  weakest  point.  There  were  times,  under 
strong  provocation,  when  this  carnal  propensity 
almost  overcame  me.  It  was  only  by  calling  might- 
ily upon  the  Lord  that  I  kept  control  of  myself. 
I  really  feared  at  times  that  I  would  lose  my 
experience  because  of  the  warfare  within. 

I  well  remember  how  I  longed  for  deliverance. 
My  soul  hungered  and  thirsted  for  more  grace,  for 
the  mighty  infilling  of  God's  perfect  righteous- 
ness. I  wanted  to  move  out  of  this  ''wilderness'' 
experience  into  the  "Canaan  rest."  My  soul 
yearned  for  the  pentecostal  baptism.  I  felt  the 
need  of  an  enduement  of  divine  power. 

The  experience  of  a  pioneer  settler  on  the 
Western  plains  of  Nebraska  illustrates  my  exper- 
ience very  well.  He  built  a  sod  house  with  a  small 
loft  in  which  was  a  single  window.  In  those  days 
great  hordes  of  wolves  swept  across  the  prairies. 
He  captured  one  and  kept  it  in  his  house  as  a  pet. 
One  dark  night  a  cohort  of  wolves  attacked  his 
home.  He  fired  his  gun;  but  they  only  scampered 
away  to  return  again.  The  thing  that  emboldened 
them  was  the  wolf  within.  When  the  wild  wolves 
howled  without,  the  pet  wolf  responded  from  with- 
in. It  soon  became  apparent  to  the  man  that  to 
save  his  life  he  must  get  rid  of  the  wolf  on  the 
inside.  He  climbed  into  the  loft,  opened  the  small 
window,  and  threw  the  animal  out.  Then  when  the 
howling  began  there  was  no  response  from  within. 


40 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Tlie  next  time  he  fired  his  gun,  the  whole  pack 
ran  away  and  returned  no  more  that  night. 


SEEKING  ENTIRE  SANCTIFICATION 

Jesus  instructed  the  disciples  to  tarry  ...  in 
the  city  of  Jerusalem,  until  they  were  endued 
with  power  from  on  high.''  They  returned  to 
Jerusalem  with  great  joy:  and  were  continually 
in  the  temple,  praising  and  blessing  God''  (Luke 
24:49,  52,  53).  These  all  continued  with  one  ac- 
cord in  prayer  and  supplication"  (Acts  1:14). 

Scarcely  two  persons  can  be  found  who  relate 
exactly  the  same  detailed  experience  in  their  com- 
ing to  a  knowledge  of  the  indwelling  Comforter. 
Two  things  are  necessary  on  the  part  of  every  be- 
liever to  enter  this  state  of  Christian  perfection, 
namely,  consecration  and  faith.  When  the  Holy 
Spirit  comes  in,  he  witnesses  to  the  work  done. 
^'He  hath  perfected  forever  them  that  are  sancti- 
fied. Whereof  the  Holy  Ghost  also  is  a  witness 
to  us"  (Heb.  10:14,  15).  But  in  reaching  a  per- 
fect consecration  and  a  definite  faith  that  appro- 
priates the  blessing  to  our  hearts,  we  may  not  all 
come  just  the  same  way.  No  one  dare  say,  ^^This 
is  the  way  I  reached  the  place.  It  is  the  only 
route,  and  unless  you  have  come  this  way  you 
have  not  obtained  the  experience."  Such  teach- 
ing has  wrought  great  confusion,  and  thrown  good, 
conscientious  people  under  awful  accusation. 


REMINISCENCES 


41 


I  am  convinced  that  the  teacliing  has  much  to  do 
with  the  manner  of  seeking.  For  example,  Fletcher, 
in  his  writings,  specialized  along  the  line  of  "dy- 
ing out  to  sin,''  '^crucifying  the  old  man,"  and 
seeking  a  clean  heart."  Hence  the  various 
branches  of  Methodist  holiness  people  have  em- 
phasized this  particular  phase.  The  result  is,  their 
seekers  follow  this  route.  A  notable  case  in  point 
is  that  of  the  Free  Methodist  Church.  That  many 
of  them  have  attained  a  real  experience  of  holiness 
no  one  can  question.  On  the  other  hand,  there 
are  many  movements  along  the  line  of  holiness 
which  in  their  preaching  enlarge  on  the  baptism 
of  power,"  the  ''mighty  infilling,"  and  the  "over- 
whelming blessing."  In  their  meetings  the  seek- 
ers think  little  of  dying  out  to  carnality,  but 
simply  plead  for  the  "second  blessing/^  Then 
there  are  others  who  make  consecration  the  prom- 
inent thing.  The  seekers  "lay  all  on  the  altar," 
and  "the  altar  sanctifies  the  gift." 

Oh,  the  importance  of  well-balanced  teaching! 
The  negative  and  positive  sides  of  the  doctrine 
should  be  set  forth  in  all  clearness.  The  ten  days 
of  waiting  on  the  part  of  the  first  disciples  was 
spent  in  "prayer  and  supplication,"  and  in  "prais- 
ing and  blessing  God."  They  -  obtained  the  gen- 
uine experience.  In  their  case  we  read  of  no 
groanings,  no  weird  or  wild  actions,  simply  praying 
and  praising  God.  Take  the  case  of  Cornelius  in 
Acts  10:  "While  Peter  yet  spake  these  words,  the 


42 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Holy  Ghost  fell  on  all  them  which  heard  the 
word.''  That  Paul  taught  a  death  to  sin,  a  cruci- 
fixion of  our  old  nature,  is  very  clear.  He  also 
taught  the  need  of  a  deep  and  thorough  consecra- 
tion. But  to  say  that  a  person  must  go  through 
a  certain  process  covering  days  and  weeks  in  order 
to  reach  the  condition  in  which  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  given,  is  not  warranted  in  the  Scriptures. 

Soon  after  my  conversion  I  began  to  pray  for 
entire  sanctification.  I  determined  never  to  stop 
short  of  a  satisfactory  experience.  The  consecra- 
tion I  made  was  something  like  this:  Q-od, 
I  here  and  now  dedicate  my  all  to  thee  forever- 
more— my  body  to  be  thy  holy  temple,  and  every 
member  to  be  used  to  thy  glory:  my  hands  to 
labor  for  thee,  my  feet  to  walk  in  thy  footsteps, 
my  ears  to  hear  thy  voice,  my  mind  to  think  and 
meditate  upon  thy  goodness,  and  my  mouth  to 
speak  thy  everlasting  praise.  Come  into  this 
temple  and  decorate  it  to  suit  thyself.  My  soul  I 
dedicate  to  be  a  receptacle  of  all  thy  rich  graces; 
my  heart  to  be  thy  throne.  I  sign  a  quitclaim  to 
myself.  I  am,  without  reserve,  thine  for  time  and 
eternity.'^  Along  with  myself,  I  fully  gave 
wife,  children,  and  possessions  into  the  Lord's 
hands.  At  this  point  a  real  circumcision  of  the 
heart  took  place.  I  shall  never  forget  the  pangs 
of  death  through  which  I  passed.  It  was  as  real 
to  me  as  though  I  saw  each  member  of  my  f-amily 
lowered  into  the  grave.    Whether  others  exper- 


REMINISCENCES 


43 


ience  what  I  did  is  immateiiai  to  me.  This  is 
the  route  along  wiiich  the  Spirit  led  me.  1  am 
glad  i  took  this  "death  route." 

When  in  later  years  I  was  called  to  spend  about 
ten  months  of  the  year  away  from  home  in  the 
evangelistic  field,  and  after  but  a  few  days  with 
my  family  at  home  had  to  rush  away  to  the  Lord^s 
harvest-field  again,   and  my  weeping  wife  and 
children  clung  to  me  and  said,  "0  Papa,  stay  with 
us  a  few  days  longer,"  but  duty  compelled  me  to 
grasp  my  satchel  and  wave  them  good-by,  I  was 
comforted  because  I  had  already  consecrated  to 
this  very  thing.    When  the  white  casket  contain- 
ing my  fourteen-year-old  daughter,  who  was  burned 
to  death,  was  lowered  into  the  grave,  I  stood  silent, 
and  with  a  sweet,  calm  resignation  could  say,  "The 
Lord  giveth,  the  Lord  hath  taken  away.  Blessed 
be  the  name  of  the  Lord."   My  consecration  made 
years  before  covered  this.    I  passed  through  the 
heart-rending  pangs  back  there.    Oh,  halleluiah! 
How  sweet  to  be  entirely  consecrated  on  every 
line!    When  the  Lord  made  clear  to  me  to  go  to 
Syria,  and  when  on  Dec.  7,  1920,  the  train  pulled 
out  of  Rochester,  Indiana,  U.  S.  A.,  and  my  chil- 
dren with  tears  streaming  down  their  faces  stood 
on  the  platform  Waving  farewells,  my  consecra- 
tion came  before  me.    I  calmly  said,  "The  will 
of  the  Lord  be  done."    When  in  hours  of  deep 
discouragement  and  dark  trial  the  enemy  has  whis- 
pered, "Throw  up  everything  and  quit  for  good," 


44 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


my  consecration  has  upheld  me  like  a  rock.  I  thank 
God  that  I  took  time  to  count  the  cost,  and  then 
paid  the  price. 

I  died  to  sin.  It  seemed  that  all  the  elements 
of  my  fallen  nature  were  dissected  and  laid  bare 
by  the  sword  of  the  Spirit— selfishness,  pride, 
anger,  stubbornness,  and  all  the  rest.  Like  Agag, 
each  began  to  plead  for  life  and  say,  Surely  the 
bitterness  of  death  is  past.^'  Like  the  C'anaanites 
of  old  who  were  bom  and  bred  in  the  land,  these 
principles  were  a  part  of  me,  I  inherited  them. 
But  as  certain  as  the  Canaanites  had  to  be  utterly 
destroyed  in  order  for  Israel  to  possess  the  land 
and  have  rest,  so  the  **body  of  sin,''  my  ^^old 
man,''  with  all  his  members,  must  be  brought  to 
the  cross  and  made  to  pass  through  the  pangs  of 
death.  This  was  real  to  me.  It  was  not  an  empty 
theory.  I  shall  never  forget  the  inward  suffer- 
ings. All  these  experiences  have  been  worth  a 
world  to  me.  They  forever  anchored  me  in  the 
experience  and  doctrine  of  true  holiness.  During 
my  ministry  many  new  and  false  theories  have 
been  introduced.  And  at  first  they  looked  plaus- 
ible; but  when  I  looked  back  to  the  way  the  Holy 
Spirit  taught  and  led  me,  I  felt  like  a  rock  in  the 
billows. 

John's  mother  was  an  oldTfashioned  holiness 
woman.  She  taught  her  principles  to  her  boy. 
When  he  grew  to  manhood,  she  sent  him  to  the 
theological  school  to  be  trained  for  the  ministry. 


EEMINISCENCES 


45 


After  he  finished  his  course  and  returned  home 
with  his  diploma,  he  began  to  argue  with  his 
mother  against  sanctification  as  a  second  work. 
He  had  learned  differently  during  his  absence. 
Being  a  fluent  speaker,  he  was  able  to  get  the  best 
of  the  argument.  Finally  his  mother  said:  **John, 
yo^  can  speak  better  dan  yose  mudder.  Yose  got 
yer  relijun  in  yer  head;  but  yose  mudder  has  de 
experence  m  her  heart,  and  yo'  can  not  take  it 
from  her.'^  That  is  the  point.  I  am  inclined  to 
believe  that  the  majority  who  are  led  off  into 
new  theories  have  never  reached  the  depths  of  a 
living  experience. 


BAPTIZED  WITH  THE  HOLY  GHOST 

**He  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 
with  fire''  (Matt.  3:11).  *'For  the  promise  is 
unto  you,  and  to  your  children,  and  to  all  that 
are  afar  off,  even  as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God 
shall  calP'  (Acts  2:39).  *^The  Holy  Ghost,  whom 
God  hath  given  to  them  that  obey  him''  (Acts 
5:32). 

Perfect  holiness  comprehends  not  only  a  puri- 
fying of  our  nature  from  the  effects  of  the  fall, 
but  also  the  infilling  of  the  blessed  Comforter. 
We  get  rid  of  something  and,  thank  God,  we  re- 
ceive something.  Our  hearts  are  cleansed  from 
sin,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  takes  possession  of  the 
temple.  Thus  we  are  the  habitation  of  God 
through  the  Spirit." 


46 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


When  I  was  a  boy  on  the  farm  my  father 
assigned  me  a  certain  job  about  every  spring. 
Usually  there  was  left  over  considerable  musty 
straw  and  hay  in  the  bam,  and  it  was  my  work 
to  clear  this  out.  But  after  all  this  was  pitched 
out  of  the  mows  into  the  barnyard  there  was 
nothing  left  except  an  empty  bam.  Nothing  at- 
tractive about  that.  It  was  when  the  bam  was 
filled  with  new  wheat  and  hay  that  it  was  an  at- 
tractive place. 

So  with  salvation.  The  Prodigal  got  rid  of  his 
rags  and  filth;  but  he  also  received  the  ^^best 
robe''  and  shoes  for  his  feet."  He  exchanged 
the  gmnts  of  the  swine  for  music  and  dancing," 
and  his  hunger  for  a  feast  on  the  fatted  calf." 
In  the  experience  of  entire  sanctification  we  re- 
joice in  a  clean  heart,  in  a  thorough  purging  from 
sin;  but  along  with  this  we  thank  God  for  the  in- 
filling power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  abiding  Com- 
forter. 

I  did  not  seek  for  manifestations,  for  certain  ex- 
periences, or  fmits  of  the  Spirit,  but  I  sought  for 
the  Spirit  himself.  I  received  him.  He  cleansed 
my  heart,  filled  me  with  power,  and  all  my 
being  with  the  glory  of  God.  I  was  sensitively 
conscious  of  his  sw'eet  indwelling  presence.  Then 
I  could  sing: 

"Yes,  'tis  love,  'tis  burning  love  divine. 
Filling  all  my  soul's  desire; 
Oh.  how  sweet  its  glories  ever  shine! 
Now  I  feel  the  glowino-  fire." 


REMINISCENCES 


47 


CALLED  TO  GOSPEL  WORK 

*^Paul,  .  .  .  called  to  be  an  apostle,  separated 
unto  the  gospel  of  God"  (Rom.  1:1). 

''The  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers" 
(Acts  20:28). 

"Woe  is  unto  me,  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel." 
-Paul. 

Every  true  minister  is  divinely  called.  Jesus 
said,  "I  have  chosen  you."  Not  every  member 
of  the  church  is  called  to  the  special  work  of  the 
ministry,  but  "he  gave  some,  apostles;  .  .  .  and 
some  evangelists,"  etc.,  "for  the  work  of  the  min- 
istry, for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ"— 
the  church.  Thus  this  sacred  office  is  not  entered 
as  a  matter  of  our  own  selection  as  we  would 
choose  any  other  vocation  in  life.  It  is  the  result 
of  a  heavenly  calling,  where  the  divine  will  enters. 
The  Lord  said  of  Paul,  "He  is  a  chosen  vessel 
unto  me."  This  is  true  of  every  God-ordained 
preacher  of  the  gospel. 

Since  the  call  and  qualification  comes  from  God, 
our  authority  does  not  rest  upon  diplomas,  the 
^'otes  of  synods  and  conferences,  nor  the  endorse- 
ments of  bishops,  but  we  are  "ambassadors  for 
Christ/^  sent  forth  under  a  divine  commission  and 
clothed  with  all  the  authority  and  power  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  Such  charismatic  government 
characterized  the  primitive  ministry  and  church, 
and  the  same  again  adorns  her  in  her  restored  con- 
dition, resplendent  in  this  evening  time  with  the 


48 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


glory  of  pristine  Christianity.  The  church  and 
world  need  a  ministry  of  power,  men  anointed  and 
inspired,  who  have  a  living  message  for  a  dying 
people. 

I  am  not  a  preacher  by  personal  choice.  Miy 
father  once  talked  of  sending  me  to  Theil  College 
to  study  for  the  Lutheran  ministry;  but  at  that 
time  I  was  not  even  converted.  It  was  only  a 
very  short  time  after  I  was  saved  that  a  great 
burden  came  upon  my  heart  for  this  lost  world, 
and  I  felt  I  must  go  everywhere  and  tell  others 
how  Jesus  saved  a  poor  sinner  like  me.  I  began 
to  lose  interest  in  temporal  pursuits  and  found 
myself  longing  to  enter  active  service  in  the  Mas- 
ter's vineyard.  While  I  was  musing  the  fire 
burned. As  Jeremiah  expressed  it,  ^^His  Word 
was  in  mine  heart  as  a  burning  fire  shut  up  in 
my  bones''  and  **I  could  not  stay." 

After  I  received  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
this  inward  conviction  and  feeling  was  intensified. 
The  Lord  made  clear  to  me  that  I  must  forsake  all 
my  plans  and  purposes  of  life,  and  devote  the 
rest  of  my  days  to  him.  He  separated  me  unto 
the  gospel,''  and  I  must  make  it  my  life's  work. 
Every  energy  of  my  being,  every  faculty  of  my 
soul  must  be  laid  upon  the  altar  of  sacrifice  and 
service  to  him.  I  believe  my  call  was  as  definite 
as  my  conversion.  Before  this  I  had  consecrated 
to  the  whole  will  of  God,  and  now,  since  he  made 
his  will  in  this  particular  clearly  known,  it  was  a 


REMINISCENCES 


49 


pleasure  to  say,  '^Tlie  will  of  the  Lord  be  done." 
Oh,  that  more  hearts  and  lives  were  dedicated 
without  reserve  to  God!  He  would  then  choose 
more  vessels  of  mercy"  to  bear  the  living  waters 
of  salvation  to  the  thirsty  souls  of  men. 


HOW  I  PREACHED  MY  FIRST  SERMON 

It  was  in  May,  1893,  just  three  months  after  I 
was  saved.  We  were  living  in  New  Whatcom 
(now  Bellingham),  Washington.  One  Sunday 
morning  I  suggested  to  my  wife  that  we  attend 
Free  Methodist  services,  as  they  were  the  only 
holiness  people  we  knew  of  in  the  place.  After 
the  sermon,  an  opportunity  was  given  for  testi- 
monies, or,  in  Methodist  terms,  a  class-meeting" 
was  held.  This  was  open  to  all  and  we  availed 
ourselves  of  the  opportunity  to  tell  wihat  God  had 
done  for  us.  Both  of  us  testified  to  the  saving, 
sanctifying,  and  healing  power  of  God. 

But  we  did  not  stop  at  this.  Being  exceed- 
ingly zealous"  for  what  we  believed  to  be  the 
truth,  we  felt  that  we  must  tell  all  we  knew.  So 
we  told  them  that  through  spiritual  birth  we  were 
members  of  the  one  and  only  Bible  church— the 
church  of  God.  That  religious  sects  and  divisions 
are  wrong  and  sinful,  and  that  the  time  has  come 
when  the  Lord  is  gathering  his  people  out  of  all 
these  places  where  they  have  been  scattered  in 
the  cloudy  and  dark  day."   I  confess  that  we  had 


50 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


more  zeal  than  wisdom.  But  Grod  overruled  it  to 
his  glory. 

What  we  said  aroused  a  great  interest.  As  soon 
as  the  meeting  was  dismissed,  the  members  crowd- 
ed around  us  and  asked  me  to  preach  for  them 
in  the  evening.  The  pastor  said,  Please  preach 
us  a  sermon  on  the  church;  I  vTlant  to  hear  more 
along  this  line.'^  I  told  them  that  I  had  never 
preached  a  sermon.  Wife  was  scared  for  fear  I 
should  consent,  and  earnestly  protested,  saying, 
^^No,  no,  he  is  no  preacher.  Please  don't  ask  him  to 
preach.''  But  they  were  not  easily  put  off.  We 
had  created  an  interest,  and  they  insisted  that  I 
preach  to  them  something  about  this  one  true 
church  of  God.    Finally  I  consented. 

My  wife  turned  pale,  and  I  felt  as  though  my 
heart  was  in  my  throat.  We  had  about  one  mile 
to  walk  home,  and  I  question  whether  a  dozen 
words  passed  between  us  all  the  way.  We  were 
both  thinking  deeply.  I  shall  never  forget  that 
afternoon.  It  was  a  time  of  anxiety,  fear,  and 
trembling.  I  spent  it  in  earnest  prayer,  pleading 
with  the  Lord  to  help  me.  I  am  certain  that  my 
wife  called  mightily  upon  the  Lord;  for  she  was 
afraid  I  should  make  a  complete  failure. 

The  sermon  outline  I  prepared  follows: 
THE  CHURCH 

Text- Matt.  16:13-18. 

Text  analyzed. 

1.  The  church  is  divine.    Christ  built  it. 
WILL  BUTLD." 


REMINISCENCES 


51 


2.  It  is  his  church.  ''MY  church." 

3.  There  is  but  one  true  church.  *'MY 
CHURCH." 

4.  It  will  stand  forever,  hence  there  is  no  need  of 
any  other.  ''The  gates  of  hell  shall  not  pre- 
vail against  it." 

I.    It  is  the  body  of  Christ.    Eph.  1:22,  23;  Col. 
1:18,  24. 

n.    Christ  has  but  one  body— church.    Eiph.  4:4-6; 
Rom.  12:4,  5. 

III.  Sects  or  divisions  in  this  body  are  wrong. 

1  Cor.  12:24,  25  ;  1  Cor.  1:10. 

IV.  Salvation  makes  us  members.    John  10:7,  9; 

Acts  2:47;  1  Cor.  12:13,  18. 

V.  Its  name  is  the  church  of  God.    Acts  20:28; 

1  Cor.  1:1,  2. 

VI.  The  class-book  is  the  book  of  life.    Phil.  4: 

3;  Luke  10:20. 

VII.  The  discipline  is  the  New  Testament.  2 
Tim.  3:16,  17. 

VIII.  Its  bond  of  union  is  the  love  of  God. 
Col.  2:2. 

IX.  We  need  nothing  else.    Col.  2:10. 

That  evening  we  walked  silently  together  to  the 
church.  I  was  trembling  from  head  to  feet.  "When 
we  reached  the  place,  to  our  surprize  the  house 
was  crowded  to  its  capacity.  The  minister  had 
spread  the  announcement  that  a  new  preacher 


52 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


from  Pennsylvania  would  address  them,  and  this 
resulted  in  a  record  attendance.  When  I  saw  the 
large  congregation,  my  courage  almost  failed  me. 
My  wife  will  not  be  whiter  when  she  lays  in  her 
casket  than  she  was  at  that  moment. 

After  song  and  prayer,  with  lips  quivering  and 
my  whole  frame  shaking  I  managed  to  walk  to 
the  stand  in  front  of  the  pulpit.  I  did  not  feel 
worthy  to  enter  the  pulpit.  I  opened  my  Bible, 
and  with  stammering  tongue  read  the  text.  That 
instant  it  seemed  the  windows  of  heaven  were 
opened,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  fell  upon  me.  My 
mouth  was  opened,  my  tongue  unloosed,  and  I 
was  changed  into  another  man.  For  more  than 
one  hour  the  truth  went  forth  like  thunder-peals. 
Soon  Wife  was  on  her  feet  shouting,  the  Free 
Methodists  were  shouting,  and  gravitation  could 
not  keep  me  down  either.  I  was  leaping  for  joy 
and  gladness.  My  wife  afterwards  told  me  that 
the  language  used  was  most  eloquent.  It  was  the 
Holy  Grhost  using  the  vocal  organs  to  please  him- 
self. Praise  God  for  the  experience  of  that  hour. 
I  never  after  doubted  my  caU  to  the  ministry. 

The  result  of  that  service  will  be  fully  known 
only  in  eternity.  One  family  took  a  bold  stand 
with  us,  and  this  laid  the  foundation  for  future 
work  in  that  city.  A  few  years  later  a  good- 
sized  congregation  was  established,  and  an  annual 
camp-meeting  was  held  in  Bellingham. 


REMINISCENCES 


53 


GIVEN  THE  GIFT  OF  PROPHECY 

*'For  to  one  is  given  by  the  Spirit  the  word 
of  wisdom  ;  ...  to  another  prophecy (1  Cor. 
12:8-11). 

In  July,  1893,  we  returned  from  Puget  Sound, 
Wash.,  to  my  boyhood  home  in  Pennsylvania.  I 
soon  publicly  announced  my  call,  and  also  my  in- 
tention to  enter  the  ministry.  Here  all  my  rela- 
tives and  former  associates  lived,  and  my  announce- 
ment at  once  became  the  topic  of  the  whole  com- 
munity. I  then  gave  out  a  preaching-service  to 
be  held  on  a  Sunday  evening  in  the  Shelhamer 
Church.  Some  of  my  near  kin  said,  ^^What  a 
pity!  Had  he  remained  with  the  Lutherans,  he 
might  have  amounted  to  something.'' 

Sunday  arrived,  and  I  was  aware  that  a  multi- 
tude of  people  were  coming,  the  majority  no  doubt 
through  curiosity.  I  spent  the  day  wrestling  with 
God.  That  whole  afternoon  I  was  upon  my  knees 
under  a  large  chestnut- tree  on  the  hillside,  weep- 
ing and  humbling  my  heart  before  the  Lord.  I 
shall  never  forget  the  struggles  my  soul  passed 
through.  I  shall  always  remember  how  utterly 
dependent  upon  the  Holy  Spirit  I  felt.  I  entered 
into  a  number  of  covenants  with  the  Lord  and 
made  solemn  promises  of  what  I  would  do  if  he 
would  stand  by  me  and  give  me  success.  This 
kind  of  preparation  some  brethren  have  termed  [ 
"knee-olog}\"  Call  it  what  you  may,  those  early  ' 
struggles  were  worth  a  World  to  me  in  after  years. 


56 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


We  cut  our  own  grooves,  and  then  say  that  the 

Holy  Spirit  must  work  inside  these;  all  else  is 
false  manifestation.  When  will  we  break  through 
and  let  God  have  his  way?  How  long,  0  Lord? 
I  have  been  greatly  burdened  over  this  very  thing. 
We  are  too  fearful  of  the  ''diversities  of  gifts," 
the  ''differences  of  administrations,''  and  of  the 
"diversities  of  operations''  (1  Cor.  12:4-6).  It 
is  the  same  Spirit,  the  same  Lord,  and  the  same 
God  "which  worketh  all  in  all."  A  very  careful 
reading  of  the  Scriptures  reveals  the  fact  tha,t 
the  Holy  Ghost  has  worked  in  some  very  strange 
and  mysterious  ways  at  different  times.  At  least 
in  ways  that  seem  strange  to  us.  Oh,  that  we  as 
a  church  would  without  reserve  abandon  ourselves 
into  his  hands,  and  let  him  work  as  he  pleases! 
As  long  as  we  dictate  and  legislate  for  the  Holy 
Spirit,  we  limit  the  field  of  his  operation. 

I  will  here  relate  an  experience  that  fell  under 
my  observation.  About  twenty  years  ago,  Bro. 
I.  S.  McCoy  and  my  wife  and  I  were  conducting  a 
revival-meeting  at  Olive  Bethel,  Ind.  The  Hunter 
family  lived  there  at  the  time.  Father  Hunter 
was  a  very  timid  man.  It  was  all  he  could  ever 
do  to  summon  courage  to  give  in  a  very  short 
testimony.  On  this  particular  morning,  Brother 
McCoy  preached  a  powerful  sermon  under  the 
anointing  of  the  Spirit.  The  whole  place  seemed 
charged  with  heaven's  electricity,  and  the  congre- 
gation were  on  the  direct  line  with  the  power- 


REMINISCENCES 


57 


house  on  high.  All  of  a  sudden  Father  Hunter 
arose,  his  face  shining  like  an  angePs,  and  he  be- 
gan to  exhort  and  testify  to  the  surprize  of  every- 
body. He  shouted  and  praised  God  aloud,  and 
then  went  from  seat  to  seat  and  shook  hands  with 
the  entire  congregation. 

Wife  and  I  went  home  with  the  Hunters  for 
dinner  that  day.  At  the  table  Sigel  and  Clarence 
said  to  their  father,  ^'We  never  saw  you  act  like 
that  before."  He  seemed  surprized  at  their  re- 
mark, and  then  inquired  what  they  meant.  When 
the  boys  related  what  had  occurred,  it  was  all  news 
to  him.  He  said  that  the  last  he  remembered  he 
had  stood  up  to  testify,  and  when  he  came  to  him- 
self he  Was  sitting  on  his  seat.  He  knew  nothing 
of  what  had  taken  place.  Here  the  Holy  Spirit 
had  Ids  way.  I  do  not  say  that  the  Spirit  can  not 
have  his  way  unless  there  is  a  similar  manifes- 
tation. That  is  not  the  point.  The  Holy  Ghost  is 
unlimited  in  resources  and  will  operate  in  a  "di- 
versity'' of  ways,  if  we  will  give  him  the  chance. 

I  could  relate  many  similar  experiences.  It 
goes  to  show  that  the  Spirit  of  God  will  accom- 
plish his  pleasure  if  we  will  let  him.  Brethren,  I 
believe  God  is  nursing  a  storm  in  the  heavens, 
and  I  pray  God  it  may  soon  break  upon  us.  Oh, 
that  heaven's  lightning  would  strike  the  church  and 
burn  up  the  dry  sticks!  Let  it  come.  Lord.  I  can 
hear  the  distant  thunder-roll. 


60  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


1  never  before  heard  such  a  sermon.  For  three 
and  one  half  hours  the  message  came  forth  like 
mighty  thunder-peals.  People  sat  spell-bound  dur- 
ing all  that  time.  I  trembled  under  the  mighty 
power  of  God.  Under  such  preaching,  it  was  noc 
difficult  to  find  the  highway  that  leads  to  Zion. 
And  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  came  home  with 
everlasting  jay. 

The  altars  were  well  filled  with  seekers  for 
salvation  and  entire  sanctification.  There  were 
many  sound  conversions,  and  the  babes  in  Christ 
were  not  bom  dead.  They  came  through  making 
"a  joyful  noise  unto  the  Lord."  The  whole  camp 
seemed  aflame  with  glory.  Every  saint  of  God 
was  inspired  with  the  great  message  of  the  refor- 
mation, and  all  had  confidence  in  the  work.  There 
was  a  sweet  spirit  of  love  and  unity.  It  was 
truly  wonderful.  It  seemed  to  be  the  gate  of 
heaven  to  me.  My  soul  had  a  continual  feast  of 
tabernacles.''  This  meeting  was  a  great  inspi- 
ration to  me  to  go  forth  with  zeal  and  earnestness 
and  herald  far  and  wide  the  '^present  truth." 


OPENING  NEW  FIELDS  OF  WORK 

In  the  latter  part  of  October,  1893,  Wife  and  I 
launched  out  into  the  active  work  of  the  ministry, 
and  from  then  until  the  present  we  have  given  our 
full  time  to  the  gospel  work.  A  friend  told  us 
of  a  United  Brethren  church  at  North  Point,  Pa., 
in  which  we  could  hold  meetings.    He  offered  to 


REMINISCENCES 


61 


take  us  in  his  buckboard  buggy,  the  distance  being 
thirty-eight  miles.  We  packed  our  satchel  and 
started  over  the  hills  on  our  first  evangelistic 
tour.  Our  company  consisted  of  Wife,  our  baby, 
and  me.  The  people  with  whom  we  lodged  made 
no  profession  of  religion. 

We  continued  this  meeting  for  seventeen  nights. 
The  country  was  stirred  for  miles,  and  the  atten- 
dance was  very  large.  I  had  no  older  minister  on 
whom  to  depend,  therefore  had  to  dig  out  my  ser- 
mons upon  my  knees.  I  spent  most  of  the  time 
between  meetings  in  prayer  and  the  study  of  the 
Word.  I  have  always  thanked  God  for  these  ex- 
periences. Had  I  started  out  with  older  brethren, 
I  would  have  depended  much  upon  them  to  do  the 
preaching  and  to  bear  the  responsibility.  As  it 
was,  we  were  thrown  upon  our  own  resources,  and 
had  to  lean  heavily  upon  God  for  wisdom  and 
guidance. 

A  congregation  of  about  thirty  believers  took 
their  stand  for  the  truth  we  preached.  At  one 
time  seventeen  members  of  the  United  Brethren 
denomination  handed  in  their  names  to  be  taken 
from  their  church's  class-book.  Among  these  were 
three  persons  who  afterwards  became  active  min- 
isters—Ann F.  Eakman,  Annie  Cheatham,  and 
Ora  Howard  (Mrs.  T),  O.  Teasley).  A  goodly 
number  of  sinners  were  saved,  and  some  believers 
sanctified.  There  was  marked  opposition  from  the 
sectarian  element.    They  threatened  to  close  the 


62 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


ohurcli-liouse  against  us;  but  only  two  of  the 
trustees  favored  this,  while  three  stood  in  our 
favor.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting  the  new  con- 
gregation withdrew  to  a  hall  offered  freely  by  a 
merchant  who  was  a  non-professor  of  religion. 
This  hall  became  the  permanent  place  of  worship 
for  the  brethren,  until  in  later  years  a  new  church- 
building  was  erected. 

This  was  my  first  revival-meeting.  But  all  was 
not  sunshine.  We  had  some  unpleasant  exper- 
iences, and  these  helped  to  ripen  us  for  future 
usefulness.  After  the  first  week  of  the  meeting 
our  baby  contracted  pneumonia.  The  people  with 
whom  we  lodged  refused  us  a  light  at  night,  and 
we  were  placed  in  the  coldest  room  in  the  house. 
As  Wife  and  I  had  most  of  the  singing  for  the 
meeting  to  do,  we  were  compelled  to  leave  the 
child  with  the  folk  during  services.  We  were 
fully  trusting  the  Lord  for  healing,  and  told  the 
people  so.  But,  despite  our  protests,  while  we 
were  absent  to  meeting  they  poulticed  the  child. 
We  set  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer;  but  they  in- 
formed us  that  we  must  eat  while  under  their  roof. 
Wife  then  took  the  baby  home  to  her  people,  and 
came  back  to  assist  in  the  meetings.  After  three 
months  we  returned  home,  but  our  child  did  not 
recognize  us,  and  would  not  own  us.  Wife  cried 
all  night  over  this.  It  takes  all  kinds  of  weather 
to  ripen  fruit  to  perfection,  and  these  checkered 
experiences  simply  developed  quality  for  service. 


REMINISCENCES 


63 


From  North  Point  we  drove  across  the  country 
a  distance  of  six  miles  to  Georgeville,  Pa.  Many 
of  the  readers  of  this  book  have  seen  the  cartoons 

Bringing  Up  Father,"  by  George  McMannus. 
It  was  the  father  of  George  McMannus  who  offer- 
ed us  a  small  hall  to  hold  meetings  in.  With 
some  assistance  we  scrubbed  out  the  place,  seated 
it,  and  announced  meeting.  The  first  night  the 
place  was  crowded  to  its  capacity,  and  many  were 
on  the  outside.  After  two  nights  the  Baptists 
opened  their  church,  and  we  continued  the  meet- 
ings there  for  four  weeks. 

It  was  during  this  meeting  that  our  first  evan- 
gelistic company  was  formed.  Singing  was  a 
prominent  part  in  all  our  services,  and  we  arranged 
it  so  that  we  had  all  parts  of  music.  Wife  sang 
soprano,  Belle  Sheldon  (of  Blanco,  Pa.)  sang  alto, 
Ora  Howard  (of  North  Point,  Pa.)  sang  the  tenor 
part,  while  I  sang  bass.  From  this  time  Ora 
Howard  traveled  with  us  for  more  than  seven 
years. 

A  church  of  about  eighty  members  was  establish- 
ed as  a  result  of  this  meeting.  During  the  first 
two  weeks  there  were  no  conversions.  The  preach- 
ing was  all  new  to  the  people,  and  they  were  weigh- 
ing matters  and  counting  the  cost.  The  final  real 
break  took  place  on  a  Sunday  night,  when  six 
young  ladies  came  to  the  altar  and  were  gloriously 
saved.  Each  of  these  began  to  work  among  her 
relatives  and  friends,  and  led  a  number  of  them 


64 


PIONEEE  EVANGELISM 


to  Christ.  During  the  last  two  weeks  of  the  meet- 
ing more  than  sixty  bowed  at  the  altar  for  sal- 
vation. People  sometimes  fell  upon  their  knees 
at  their  seats  during  the  sermon  and  begaa  to 
call  upon  the  Lord  for  mercy.  Usually  seekers 
came  forward  weeping  and  trembling,  and  some- 
times we  could  scarcely  find  room  for  them.  The 
Lord  wrought  gloriously  in  our  midst.  To  his 
name  be  all  praise  forever.  Sectarians  opposed, 
while  the  brethren  shouted  aloud  for  the  joy  and 
gladness  which  filled  their  hearts. 

Many  false  reports  were  circulated,  but  they 
only  increased  the  attendance.  The  following  is 
a  sample.  It  was  reported  that  several  persons 
had  gone  insane,  and  that  we  had  a  number  of 
our  converts  chained  near  the  church.  At  the 
time  of  the  meeting  the  snow  was  very  deep,  and 
it  was  claimed  that  we  baptized  our  converts  in  the 
snow.  A  young  school-teacher,  A.  T.  Rowe,  heard 
these  reports  and  through  curiosity  came  to  the 
meeting.  He  was  afterwards  saved,  and  today  is 
a  well-known  minister. 

Fl-om  here  we  went  to  Richmond,  Pa.,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  ten  miles.  The  citizens  had  seated 
a  large  skating-rink  with  capacity  for  about  one 
thousand  people.  When  we  arrived  in  the  town 
in  a  spring-wagon,  the  people  gathered  on  the 
streets  as  though  Bamum's  circus  had  come.  The 
reports  from  the  last  meeting  had  created  a  great 
curiosity.    Folk  were  eager  to  see  what  sort  of 


REMINISCENCES 


65 


people  we  were.  The  yard  and  street  in  front  of 
the  hotel  where  we  stopped  soon  filled  with  the 
curious.  I  thought  of  Paul's  saying  that  we  are 
a  * ^ gazing-stock, "  '^a  spectacle  unto  men.''  It 
is  needless  to  say  that  the  place  of  meeting  was 
crowded. 

All  the  ministers  turned  out  to  hear  the  *^new 
and  strange  doctrine,"  as  they  termed  it.  The 
first  sermon  was  the  Biblical  Trace  of  the  Church, 
and  second  the  Scattering  and  Gathering  of  the 
People  of  God.  These  subjects  were  followed  by 
False  Prophets,  The  Holy  Remnant,  The  Evening 
light,  Gog  and  Magog,  and  The  Signs  of  the 
Times,  and  Mndred  themes.  Reports  flewi  thick 
and  fast,  and  calls  came  from  every  direction. 

Our  next  meeting  was  at  Hortons,  Pa.  Here 
the  Disciples  opened  their  church,  and  we  held 
forth  two  weeks.  At  the  close  I  baptized  nine 
converts,  among  whom  was  Mahalo  Uber  (later 
Mrs.  W.  W.  Titley).  She  preached  the  gospel  a 
number  of  years.  A  strong  congregation  was 
planted  here,  and  the  following  summer  we  held 
a  camp-meeting  in  a  grove  near  by.  At  the  close 
of  this  meeting  we  returned  home  for  a  rest.  We 
had  been  absent  three  months,  during  which  time 
more  than  one  hundred  were  saved,  and  three  good- 
sized  churches  raised  up. 

The  report  of  these  meetings  had  reached  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.,  where  Brother  Warner  and  company 
were  holding  meetings.    Brother  Warner  dispatch- 


66 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


ed  Bm  George  T.  Clayton  to  investigate  our  work. 
He  came  to  our  home,  and  together  we  returned 
to  the  new  field  of  labor.  We  spent  several  weeks 
with  the  new  churches,  during  which  time  almost 
all  the  converts  were  baptized,  and  received  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

The  weather  was  extremely  cold,  and  as  the 
baptizing  was  done  m  streams,  we  often  cut  the 
ice  in  order  to  administer  the  rite.  At  one  time  I 
baptized  a  large  number  of  people  in  an  ice- 
covered  stream.  I  became  so  cold  I  was  unable  to 
administer  the  rite  to  all  the  candidates,  and 
Brother  Clayton  walked  into  the  water  and  bap- 
tized the  remaining  ones.  Among  themi  was  a 
woman  very  weak  from  consumption  of  the  lungs. 
The  people  told  her  she  would  die  as  a  result.  As 
she  was  gently  buried  in  the  icy  waters,  thei  Spirit 
of  God  fell  upon  her,  and  she  was  instantly  healed, 
to  the  great  amazement  of  the  enemies  of  the  gos- 
pel and  to  the  comfort  of  the  saints  and  the  friends 
of  the  truth.  She  became  a  strong  woman  and 
lived  more  than  twenty-five  years  after  this.  It 
was  Mrs.  George  W.  Hazlett.  Many  came  out  of 
the  water  shouting  the  high  praises  of  God. 

The  first  ten  years  of  my  ministry  were  spent 
in  doing  pioneer  work,  laboring  in  new  fields.  I 
traveled  extensively  through  Pennsylvania,  Ohio, 
and  Indiana.  Bros.  G.  T.  Clayton  and  A.  J.  Kil- 
patrick  were  my  main  companions  in  labor.  Both 
of  these  men  were  very  devout  and  God-fearing, 


REMINISCENCES 


67 


and  their  holy  lives  were  an  inspiration  to  me. 
Brother  Clayton  was  the  most  patient  man  in  the 
furnace  of  persecution,  trial,  and  discouragement 
that  I  ever  associated  with.  Brother  Kilpatrick 
was  a  giant  in  the  pulpit  in  defense  of  the  doc- 
trine of  sanctification  as  a  second  work  of  grace. 
There  were  times  when  he  preached  on  no  other 
subject  during  a  whole  series  of  meetings.  Hundreds 
today  can  date  their  experience  of  holiness  from 
the  time  they  attended  his  meetings. 


EXPERIENCES  IN  PIONEER  WORK 

By  pioneer  work  we  mean  the  opening  of  fields 
where  the  truths  of  the  present  reformation  had 
never  penetrated,  and  thus  blazing  the  way  for 
other  laborers.  In  the  early  years  of  the  reformation 
about  all  the  preachers  were  pioneer  men.  The  dan- 
gers faced,  the  persecutions  suffered,  the  hardships 
endured,  and  the  sacrifices  made  by  these  early  sol- 
diers of  the  cross  should  be  an  everlasting  inspi- 
ration to  the  newer  and  younger  men  and  women 
who  are  called  to  perpetuate  the  great  work  so 
well  begun.  Those  precious  brethren  who  were 
called  from  the  common  walks  of  life  to  con- 
secrate themselves  to  the  task  of  establishing  a 
movement  in  the  earth  that  is  destined  in  the 
providence  of  God  to  girdle  the  globe  with  sal- 
vation and  holiness  unto  the  Lord,  will  soon  all 
have  passed  to  their  eternal  reward.    Their  places 


68 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


will  be  filled  by  younger,  more  talented,  better 
qualified,  and  better  educated  men  and  women. 
It  is  the  earnest  wish  and  prayer  of  these  pioneer 
worthies  that  the  host  of  new  workers  going  forth 
will  accomplish  a  thousand  times  more  than  they 
themselves  ever  could.  I  trust  the  time  will  never 
come  when  the  younger  generation  will  forget  and 
fail  to  appreciate  the  brethren  who  by  their  hard 
toil  and  sacrifices  brought  this  movement  into 
existence. 

It  was  my  happy  privilege  to  come  into  this 
r  ovement  during  its  pioneer  days.  I  was  well 
acquainted  and  intimately  associated  with  a  major- 
ity of  the  early  ministers.  In  those  days  I  was 
known  as  the  "boy  preacher"  of  the  reformation. 
While  I  was  about  the  same  age  as  many  of  the 
brethren,  I  had  a  young  face,  and  people  generally 
took  me  to  be  much  younger  than  I  really  was. 
This  often  became  a  great  trial  to  me.  People 
would  read  our  reports  and  articles  in  the  Tinim- 
pet,  then  send  for  us  to  hold  meetings  in  their 
communities.  They  usually  expected  to  see  a  man 
about  fifty  years  of  age,  six  feet  tall,  and  with  a 
heavy  beard.  Many  times  when  we  arrived  by  train 
or  wagon,  the  people  had  gathered  to  greet  us,  and 
lo,  when  they  saw  a  sprightly,  young,  smooth- 
faced boy  alight,  their  intense  disappointment  was 
clearly  manifest.  I  frequently  received  such  greet- 
ings as  the  following,  "Is  this  Brother  Eiggle? 
Well,  we  thought  we  were  sending  for  a  MAN, 


KEMINISCENCES 


69 


a  preacher."  Of  course  this  was  anything  but 
pleasant  for  nie,  and  it  drove  me  to  my  knees 
in  tears  alone  with  God  to  seek  power  and  wisdom 
to  meet  the  people's  requirements.  Praise  God,  he 
never  disappointed  me,  and  tlie  people  usually 
changed  their  minds  after  the  first  service. 

At  the  first  general  camp-meeting  we  attended, 
at  Grand  Junction,  Mich.,  the  Lord  gave  me  a 
message  to  deliver.  When  I  looked  at  the  older 
brethren,  my  courage  failed  and  I  shrank  from 
duty.  The  result  was  a  three-months^  chastening 
from  the  Lord.  I  suffered  under  the  rod  until 
1  learned  my  lesson.  I  decided  it  should  never 
be  repeated.  At  the  next  annual  meeting  the 
Lord  put  me  to  the  test.  It  was  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing, when  thousands  of  people  from  far  and  near 
had  gathered.  I  was  aware  of  the  great  disap- 
pointment that  would  sweep  over  the  assembly  the 
moment  I  should  take  the  pulpit.  I  hesitated  and 
tried  to  excuse  myself,  but  the  Spirit  reminded 
me  of  my  experience  the  previous  year.  I  shall 
never  forget  how  I  climbed  that  old  pulpit  and 
stood  trembling  and  embarrassed.  It  was  plainly 
visible  that  the  congregation  was  disappointed. 
Just  then  Brother  Warner  shouted,  ^^God  bless 
Brother  Eiggle."  That  one  sentence  lifted  my 
soul  above  the  dark  clouds,  and  as  I  read  my  text— 
''The  night  is  far  spent,  the  day  is  at  hand"— the 
windows  of  heaven  opened,  and  suddenly  the  whole 
camp  was  a  blaze  of  glory,  and  the  brethren  were 


70 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


shouting.  All  disappointment  on  the  part  of  the 
people  disappeared.  They  learned  that  it  is  'not 
by  might  and  power,  but  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord. ' 

Something  occurred  at  this  service  worthy  of 
note.  I  had  accompanied  another  minister  and 
his  family  by  carriage  from  Pennsylvania  to  this 
meeting.  We  had  held  meetings  at  a  number  of 
places  along  the  way.  At  all  these  places  this 
preacher  had  represented  himself  to  be  the  lead- 
ing minister  in  our  company,  and  left  the  im- 
pression that  I  was  merely  along  as  a  young 
helper.  He  did  practically  all  the  preaching,  and 
what  money  was  given  he  received.  This  was 
somewhat  of  a  trial  to  me;  but  I  humbled  my 
heart  before  the  Lord  and  submitted  it  all  to  him. 
At  the  close  of  this  Sunday-morning  service  I 
was  surprized  to  see  this  very  preacher  come  for- 
ward weeping  to  the  altar,  and  that  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  assembled  thousands.  I  was  reminded 
of  the  words  of  Jesus,  ''He  that  exalteth  himself 
shall  be  abased,"  and,  "He  that  humbleth  himself 
shall  be  exalted."  My  experience  has  taught  me 
that  it  always  pays  to  take  the  humble  side  and 
be  submitted  under  all  circumstances. 

In  those  days  there  were  few  well-established 
churches  to  support  the  work,  and  no  system  of 
support  for  the  ministers.  There  was  no  Truth 
Extension  Board  nor  funds  available.  We  had 
to  depend  entirely  upon  the  Lord  for  our  support, 
and  preached  wherever  an  opportunity  presented 


I 


REMINISCENCES 


71 


itself— sometimes  in  church-houses,  and  again  in 
school-buildings,  in  the  open  air,  and  in  groves. 
We  usually  had  a  strong  force  of  good  singers, 
and  would  sing  along  the  country  roads  and  as  we 
passed  through  towns  and  villages.  This  attracted 
large  crowds  wherever  we  went.  There  was  an 
enthusiasm  that  seemed  to  carry  everything  before 
it.  Speaking  for  myself,  I  had  implicit  confidence 
in  our  message  and  the  reformation  movement  as 
a  whole.  I  never  entertained  a  doubt  but  what 
our  work  was  of  God.  This  gave  boldness  and 
authority.  With  this  confidence  we  threw  all  our 
strength  into  the  work,  and  with  heart  and  soul 
faced  the  combined  powers  of  opposition.  No 
sacrifice  was  too  great  or  task  too  hard.  0*ur 
lives  were  consecrated  to  carry  the  saving  truth  to 
the  people. 


HARDSHIPS  ALONG  THE  WAY 

Paul  said,  Endure  hardness,  as  a  good  soldier 
of  Jesus  Chrisf  The  history  of  God's  saints 
in  all  ages  is  one  of  suffering  and  endurance.  In 
the  language  of  Isaac  Watts,  we  may  all  say, 

''Must  I  be  carried  to  the  skies 
On  flowery  beds  of  ease, 
While  others  fought  to  win  the  prize, 
And  sailed  through  bloody  seas? 

"No,  I  must  fight  if  I  would  reign; 
Increase  my  courage,  Lord. 
I'll  bear  the  cross,  endure  the  pain, 
Supported  by  thy  word.*' 


72 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


It  is  the  lot  of  ail  to  taste  a  little  of  ^'that  which 
remains  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ."  Our  Master 
said,  "I  have  a  cup  to  drink."  This  was  the  cup 
of  suffering.  But  before  this  cup  was  entirely 
exhausted  the  Father  was  pleased  to  remove  it 
from  Christ's  lips,  and  the  few  drops  that  remain 
are  distributed  among  his  followers.  In  this  way 
we  ''partake  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,"  share 
in  them;  and  if  we  can  comprehend  the  true  mean- 
ing of  this,  it  will  be  a  pleasure  to  "glory  in  tribu- 
lation," like  Paul,  and  "rejoice  in  that  day,  and 
be  exceeding  glad." 

Some  of  my  brethren  suffered  far  more  than 
we  did.  Notable  among  these  were  Brothers 
Warner  and  Clayton.  While  in  bed,  wounded  from 
mob  violence,  Brother  Warner  asked  for  pencil 
and  paper,  and  wrote  the  following  beautiful 
words : 

"Who  will  suffer  with  the  Savior, 
Take  the  little  that  remains 
Of  the  cup  of  tribulation 
Jesus  drank  in  dying  pains? 

''Oh,  for  consecrated  service 
Mid  the  din  of  Babel  strife! 
Who  will  dare  the  truth  to  herald 
At  the  peril  of  his  life? 

' '  Lord,  we  fellowship  Thy  passion, 
Gladly  suffer  shame  and  loss. 
With  thy  blessing  pain  is  pleasure; 
We  will  glory  in  thy  cross. ' ' 

V" 

During  the  early  years  of  our  ministry  we  re- 
ceived but  a  very  meager  support  financially.  The 
total  received  the  first  year  would  not,  I  am  sure, 


REMINISCENCES 


73 


exceed  fifty  dollars.  With  a  wife  and  child  to 
support,  and  most  of  this  amount  needed  for  trav- 
el, it  meant  self-denial  along  many  lines.  For 
many  years  I  wore  only  second-hand  clothing.  The 
same  was  true  of  Brother  Clayton,  with  whom  I 
traveled.  We  usually  purchased  our  suits  from 
pawn-shops  along  Penn  Avenue,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 
In  large  cities  like  Chicago,  because  of  no  money 
with  which  to  pay  transfer,  I  have  carried  our 
heavy  baggage  from  one  depot  to  the  other,  some- 
times as  far  as  ten  or  fifteen  city  blocks.  In 
this  manner  I  have  moved  as  many  as  four  large 
suitcases.  I  would  carry  two  a  short  distance,  set 
tliem  down,  and  go  back  and  bring  the  rest.  Some- 
times when  clearly  exhausted,  I  would  sit  down 
on  the  pile  to  rest.  As  I  wore  a  clerical  vest  and 
minister's  long  coat,  of  course  everybody  knew  I 
was  a  preacher. 

As  a  family  we  knew  how  to  abound  with  plenty, 
and  again  how  to  be  in  want.  Our  older  children 
can  well  remember  when  they  used  to  pray  for 
their  food  and  clothing.  They  also  remember  how 
God  often  definitely  answered  our  prayers.  Oh, 
praise  his  dear  name  forever!  Those  early  exper- 
iences are  worth  a  world  to  me  today.  At  Hooks- 
town,  Pa.  (a  new  field),  Harry  Rogers,  Ora 
Howard,  my  wife,  our  baby,  and  I  lived  one  week 
on  eighty-two  cents. 

We  were  holding  meeting  in  a  large  Methodist 
church,  and  as  no  one  invited  us  home,  we  were 


74 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


obliged  to  sleep  on  the  church  seats.  The  weather 
was  cool,  and  to  keep  warm  some  of  us  walked 
the  floor  about  all  the  night.  But  I  declare  that 
some  of  the  richest  things  I  ever  received  from 
heaven  came  in  this  way.  A  whole  night  spent  in 
prayer  enriches  the  soul.  Jesus,  our  Master,  had 
''no  place  to  lay  his  head." 

At  the  close  of  this  meeting  we  had  no  money 
to  pay  our  way  out.  Every  cent  was  gone.  We 
had  met  with  persecution  and  indiiference  on  the 
part  of  the  people.  It  was  about  twelve  miles  to 
Brother  Rogers'  home,  on  the  Ohio  River.  We 
started  on  foot.  My  wife  carried  the  baby,  while 
the  rest  of  us  carried  the  baggage.  As  we  started 
down  the  dusty  road,  many  of  the  townspeople 
gathered  and  jeered  at  us  and  made  insulting  re- 
marks. Suddenly  the  words  of  Jesus  came  ring- 
ing in  my  soul— ''And  whosoever  shall  not  receive 
you,  nor  hear  your  words,  when  ye  depart  out 
of  that  house  or  city,  shake  off  the  dust  of  your 
feet.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  It  shall  be  more 
tolerable  for  the  land  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  in 
the  day  of  judgment,  than  for  that  city."  I  also 
remembered  that  Paul  and  Barnabas  carried  out 
literally  these  very  words  of  Christ  (Acts  13:51). 
So  at  my  suggestion  our  whole  company  turned 
toward  the  jeering  crowd  and  the  town,  and, 
raising  our  hands  to  heaven  as  a  witness 
against  them,  shook  the  dust  from  our  feet.  That 
was  nearly  thirty  years  ago,  and  as  far  as  I 


KEMlNiSCENOEIS 


75 


know  no  on©  has  since  been  led  to  go  there  with 
liie  true  message. 

BiiTER  PEKSEtUXiONS 

The  apostle  says  ''all  that  will  live  godly  in 
Christ  Jesus  shall  suffer  persecution."  Jesus  said, 
"If  the  world  hate  you,  ye  know  that  it  hated  me 
before  it  hated  you.''  This  opposition  has  usually 
come  from  the  leaders  of  religion.  It  was  the 
rulers  and  elders  who  condemned  Christ  to  death. 
The  same  was  true  in  the  case  of  Stephen,  the 
first  ChristiaQ  martyr;  blind  and  zealous  religion- 
ists stoned  him  to  death.  Paul  was  once  a  bitter 
opposer  of  the  church  of  God,  all  because  he  was 
'exceedingly  zealous  for  the  traditions  of  his  fath- 
ers.' 

More  than  fifty  millions  of  saints  have  been 
slaughtered  in  the  name  of  religion.  It  is  a  fact  all 
through  the  history  of  Christianity  that  when  any 
one  received  additional  light  from  God,  and  then 
had  the  courage  to  break  away  fromi  some  old, 
dead  religious  body  and  boldly  declare  his  con- 
victions, severe  persecution  followed.  The  lives 
of  such  men  as  Huss,  Luther,  Zwingli,  Wesley, 
Alexander  Campbell,  and  D.  S.  Warner  attest  this 
fact. 

In  the  early  years  of  the  reformation  movement 
in  which  we  are  engaged,  there  was  intense  oppo^ 
sition  from  every  quarter.  The  definite  message 
of  true  holiness,  the  one  divine  church  distinct 


76 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


from  sectarian  institutions,  and  that  all  sectarian 
religious  bodies  are  unscriptural  and  are  a  part 
of  Babylon  out  of  which  God  is  now  calling  his 
people  back  to  Zion,  stirred  the  ecclesiastical  world 
in  bitter  hostility.  In  those  days  it  was  very  com- 
mon for  mobs,  headed  by  sectarian  preachers,  to 
attack  our  meetings. 

At  one  place,  during  a  camp-meeting,  a  great 
rabble  gathered  and  gave  the  brethren  just  five 
minutes  to  leave  the  grounds.  Most  of  them  did 
not  have  time  to  gather  up  their  belongings.  A 
few  minutes  after  their  departure  the  tents  and 
tabernacle  were  blown  to  pieces  with  dynamite. 
One  minister,  to  escape,  walked  a  considerable 
distance  through  a  stream  of  water. 

While  one  of  our  brethren  was  conducting  a 
meeting  at  Dawson,  Pa.,  a  crowd  of  the  ^' baser 
sort"  assembled  with  intent  to  kill  the  preacher. 
The  building  in  which  the  services  were  being  con- 
ducted was  enclosed  with  half -inch  siding.  The 
pulpit  was  near  one  end  of  the  building,  and  the 
preacher  was  standing  near  the  wall  while  deliver- 
ing the  message.  The  mob  secured  a  long,  heavy 
pole.  This  they  planned  to  thrust  through  the 
building  at  the  brother.  Providentially,  no  doubt, 
the  preacher's  pencil  fell  on  the  floor.  The  in- 
stant he  stooped  down  to  pick  up  his  pencil,  the 
pole,  with  terrific  force,  crashed  through  the  wall 
and  passed  just  over  his  head.  Had  he  remained 
standing  straight  he  probably  would  have  been 


REMINISCENCES 


77 


killed;  at  least  lie  would  have  been  severely  in- 
jured. 

It  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  be  egged,  stoned, 
and  whipped.  On  one  occasion  while  Brother 
Clayton  was  returning  home  from  meeting,  carry- 
ing a  child  in  one  arm  and  his  book-case  in  the 
other  hand,  a  crowd  of  ruffians,  urged  on  by  pro- 
fessors of  religion,  attacked  him  with  buggy  whips 
and  whipped  him  for  some  distance  along  the  road. 
Under  such  ordeals  the  brethren  usually  praised 
God.  In  Illinois  a  wicked  man  kicked  a  brother 
who  was  praying  in  a  corn-patch,  and  compelled 
him  to  leave  the  field.  A  short  time  after  this  man 
was  killed  by  a  lightning-bolt  on  the  same  spot. 
In  Pennsylvania  a  man  struck  one  of  the  brethren 
a  terrible  blow  in  the  face  with  his  fist.  The 
brother  praised  Grod  and,  turning  the  other  side  of 
his  face,  said,  ^^You  may  strike  that  too,  if  you 
wish.''  Instantly  the  offender  fell  down  at  the 
brother's  feet,  and  said,  '^0  God,  I  have  struck  a 
holy  man!  Please  forgive  me,  and  pray  God  to 
forgive  me." 

Personally  we  have  had  a  taste  of  these  things.  I 
have  been  in  mobs,  have  been  struck  over  the  head 
with  canes  and  umbrellas,  and  have  been  cursed  in 
the  most  abusive  language.  In  every  instance  it  has 
been  by  professed  Christians.  But  when  we  read 
of  the  sufi^erings  of  Paul  and  others,  we  must  con- 
clude that  the  things  we  have  been  called  to  pass 
t1] rough  are  but    light  afflictions,"    The  suffer- 


78 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


ings  of  the  present  time  do  not  compare  with  the 
glory  that  shall  follow. 


MY  ORDINATION 

It  is  God  who  calls  and  qualifies  for  the  work 
of  the  ministry.  Ordination  by  the  laying  on  of 
the  hands  of  the  presbytery  is  but  a  public  recogni- 
tion of  this  divine  call,  and  a  dedication  thereto. 
In  the  Acts  it  is  recorded  that  after  fasting  and 
prayer  they  laid  their  hands  upon  certain  brethren 
and  commended  them  to  the  grace  of  God. 

At  the  General  Assembly  of  ministers  held  at 
,Grand  Junction,  Mich.,  in  June  1894,  Bro.  D.  S. 
Warner  recommended  me  for  ordination.  As  the 
consecrated  hands  of  my  older  and  superior  breth- 
ren were  laid  upon  me,  I  felt  a  new  inspiration 
and  authority  given  from  the  Lord,  and  rededicated 
myself  to  make  the  work  of  the  ministry  my  life 's 
work.  I  have  never  been  ambitious  to  reach  a 
place  of  prominence  and  note,  but  it  has  been  my 
constant  desire  to  be  ^^a  good  minister  of  Jesus 

Christ."  •  

METHODS  OF  WORK  IN  PIONEER  DAYS 

When  this  reformation-work  was  in  its  infancy, 
we  were  constantly  pushing  out  into  new  fields. 
All  the  ministers  were  inspired  with  the  convic- 
tion that  we  are  now  engaged  in  the  last  great 
reformation  that  shall  sweep  over  the  earth  before 
Christ's  appearing.  This  work  is  the  great 
preparation''  day,  the  bride  being  made  ready 


REMINISCENCES 


79 


for  the  coming  of  the  Bridegroom.  As  we  believe 
that  this  reformation  restores  to  the  church  the 
whole  gospel  in  all  its  purity,  then  the  responsibil- 
ity to  carry  the  saving  message  of  truth  to  all 
nations  becomes  the  greater.  Imbued  with  this 
thought,  the  first  preachers  were  a  ''flying  min- 
istry,'^ disseminating  the  truth  in  every  direction. 
Little  attention  was  paid  to  the  pastoral  care  of 
churches.  Local  elders  and  deacons  were  ordained 
in  different  congregations;  but  these  were  general- 
ly called  and  selected  from  each  assembly,  and 
were  self-supporting. 

There  was  no  system  for  pastoral  support.  We 
felt  that  our  message  was  urgent,  and  that  it  was 
not  wise  to  tarry  too  long  in  one  place.  Had 
the  preachers  classified  as  evangelists  and  pastors^ 
I  am  sure  nine  tenths  would  have  registered  evan- 
gelists. Sometimes  I  wish  that  the  present  minis- 
try had  more  of  this  spirit  of  evangelism.  Since 
the  work  has  enlarged  to  its  present  proportions, 
and  congregations  have  been  planted  all  over  the 
land,  the  pastoral  phase  has  received  more  atten- 
tion than  has  the  evangelistic.  Of  course  this 
follows  in  the  natural  evolution  of  things.  But  I 
am  certain  that  the  church  today  needs  more  of 
that  spirit  to  evangelize,  which  was  so  character- 
istic of  the  early  preachers  of  the  reform.  Every 
congregation  should  labor  to  carry  the  light  of 
saving  truth  to  its  entire  surrounding  community. 
Every  member  of  each  assembly  should  be  a  soul- 


80 


PIONEEE  EVANGELISM 


winner  far  Christ.  This  is  the  true  spirit  of  prim- 
itive Christianity.  Of  the  church  at  Thessalonica 
it  was  said,  ^^From  you  sounded  out  the  word  of 
the  Lord  not  only  in  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  but 
also  in  every  place  your  faith  to  God-ward  is 
spread  abroad." 

The  early  preaching  of  some  of  the  first  minis- 
ters was  in  some  respects  idealistic  and  theoretical 
to  the  exclusion  of  the  practical.  This  is  an  honest 
confession  of  facts.  It  was  easy  to  point  out  the 
sins  and  short-comings  of  the  professed  Christian 
world,  and  condemn  these  by  the  Word  of  God. 
It  was  not  difficult  for  those  who  clearly  discerned 
the  body  of  Christ  to  hold  before  the  people  the 
ideal  church  of  the  New  Testament  from  a  purely 
doctrinal  standpoint.  They  could  boldly  say,  '^TMs 
is  the  church.'^  But  this  preaching  called  out  a 
visible  body  of  believers  numbering  tens  of  thou- 
sands the  world  over.  Now,  it  is  quite  another 
thing  to  demonstrate  in  a  practical  way  the  ideal 
presented.  We  have  found  it  many  times  more 
difficult.  It  is  for  this  visible  body  of  believers 
to  present  to  the  world  a  '^glorious  church,  not 
having  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing;  but 
that  it  should  be  holy  and  without  blemish.''  This 
is  the  point.  This  is  what  the  people  expect  of 
us.  They  have  a  right  to.  In  this  very  thing  lies 
the  success  of  our  work.  The  world  expects  to  see 
in  us  the  very  standard  and  ideal  we  have 
preached,    We  must  meet  its  expectation. 


REMINISCENCES 


81 


A  careful  reading  of  the  Epistles  will  show 
that  the  apostles  not  only  cried  out  against  the 
sins  of  the  outside  World,  but  were  busy  correct- 
ing the  evils  that  were  creeping  into  the  visible 
assemblies  among  whom  they  labored  and  who 
were  actually  planted  by  them.  I  am  thoroughly 
convinced  that  if  the  apostles  themselves  had  these 
difficulties  to  contend  with  in  their  congregations, 
we  may  also  expect  like  troubles  and  like  prob- 
lems within  the  church.  The  Newt  Testament 
is  full  of  instructions  on  how  to  proceed  in 
all  these  things.  When  we  cry  out  against 
the  worldliness  manifest  among  the  millions  of 
professed  Christians  around  us,  we  need  to  be 
sure  that  we  as  a  visible  body  of  people  are 
clear  from  this  thing.  When  we  boldly  condemn 
sectarian  divisions,  let  us  be  certain  that  we  ex- 
hibit a  visible  church  in  Bible  unity.  **And 
thinkest  thou  this,  Oi  man,  that  judgest  them 
which  do  such  things,  and  doest  the  same,  that 
thou  shalt  escape  the  judgment  of  GodT' 

EARLY  PREACHING 

As  to  the  method  of  our  early  preaching,  the 
reference  system  was  generally  followed.  It  was 
*  precept  upon  precept;  line  upon  line;  here  a  little, 
and  there  a  little.^  The  sermons  were  mostly 
doctrinal,  and  this  style  wias  certainly  effectual. 
Everything  was  proved  by  the  Bible.  This  appeal- 
ed to  the  people,  and  the  remark  was  often  heardj 


82 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


These  folks  prove  every,  point  of  their  doctrine 
from  the  Scriptures.  They  preach  the  Word.'' 
I  here  insert  a  sermon  outline  I  then  used,  and  it 
is  a  fair  sample  of  all  the  rest. 

SANCTIFICATION 
Text,  1  Thess.  4:3. 

I.  It  Is  a  Bible  Doctrine. 

1.  Jesus  prayed  for  the  sanctification  of  be- 
lievers (John  17:9,  17,  20). 

2.  It  is  our  present  inheritance  (Acts  20:32; 
26:18). 

3.  It  is  willed  to  us  under  the  new  covenant 
-(Heb.  10:9,  10). 

II.  It  Is  Attainable  in  This  Life. 

1.  There  were  sanctified  brethren  at  Corinth 
(1  Cor.  1:1,  2). 

2.  Jude  addressed  those  who'  were  sanctified 
(Jude  1). 

III.  The  Provisions  for  It  Are  Complete. 

1.  God  sanctifies  (1  Thess.  5:23;  Jude  1). 

2.  The  means  he  uses: 

a)  The  Word  (John  17:17). 

b)  The  Holy  Ghost  (Rom.  15:16). 

3.  The    cleansing    element— blood    of  Christ 
(Heb.  13:12). 

4.  The  condition. 

a)  Full  consecration  (Rom.  12:1,  2). 

b)  Faith  (Acts  26:18). 

IV.  It  Is  Received  Subsequent  to  Regeneration. 
1.  Direct  proof  (Eph.  5:25-27). 


REMINISCENCES 


83 


2.  Examples: 

a)  The  first  disciples. 

b)  Tlie  Samaritans  (Acts  8:5-17). 

c)  The  Thessalonians. 

(1)  Were  children  of  God  (1  Thess. 
1:1-9  ;  3:1-7). 

(2)  Were   not   sanctified   wholly  (1 
Thess.  5:23;  4:3). 

V.  mat  It  Does  for  Us. 

1.  Purifies  the  heart  (Acts  15:8,  9). 

2.  Perfects  in  unity  (John  17:17,  20-23;  Heb. 
2:10). 

VI.  Necessity  of  This  Grace. 

1.  Fits  for  service  here  (2  Tim.  2:21). 

2.  Fits    for   heaven   hereafter    (Heb.  12:14; 
Matt.  5:8). 

In  large  camp-meetings  it  was  customary  to 
give  out  texts  for  others  to  read.  This  proved 
convenient,  as  the  minister  did  not  need  to  leaf 
through  his  Bible  to  find  his  Scripture  proof- 
text;  when  he  desired  it,  he  simply  called  out  the 
chapter  and  verse  and  some  one  stood  up  and 
read  it.  The  sermons  were  usually  long,  some- 
times lasting  two  hours.  It  was  remarkable,  how- 
ever, to  see  the  people  sit  for  hours  apparently 
spellbound  by  their  intense  interest  in  the  ex- 
pounding of  the  Word  of  God. 

There  was  much  preaching  from  the  prophecies 
and  Revelation.  It  was  largely  from  these  por- 
tions  of  Holy  Writ  that  this   great  evening- 


84 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


light  reformation ' '  was  clearly  pointed  out. 
Prophecy  will  always  hold  a  prominent  place  in 
our  preaching.  Charts  and  blackboard  illustrations 
were  used  by  most  of  the  ministers.  This  proved 
to  be  a  very  effectual  method  of  presenting  truth. 
It  made  their  message  appeal  through  the  eye  as 
well  as  the  ear.  The  prophet  said,  Write  it 
before  them.'' 

The  preaching  was  definite  and  radical.  All 
manner  of  sin,  false  religion,  and  worldliness  was 
exposed  in  the  strongest  terms.  It  was,  ^^Walk  in 
the  light,  or  go  into  darkness.''  This  definite 
preaching  separated  the  wheat  from  the  chaff, 
and  brought  out  a  plain,  spiritual  people.  Very 
often  the  minister,  while  presenting  the  strongest 
truth  against  apostate  religions,  would  weep  in 
the  pulpit.  This  anointing  of  the  Spirit,  this 
melting  power,  this  sowing  in  tears  is  what  took 
hold  of  hearts  with  a  mighty  grip. 

The  majority  of  the  first  preachers  were  very 
demonstrative  in  the  pulpit.  Sometimes  in  the 
midst  of  a  sermon  the  minister  (and  most  of  the 
congregation)  leaped  and  shouted  for  joy.  The 
daily  sacrifice"  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  which 
was  taken  away"  during  the  apostasy,  has  been 
restored  to  the  church  in  the  evening  of  time.  It 
is  common  for  people  to  become  enthusiastic  and 
demonstrational  at  political  gatherings,  and  over 
their  business;  why  should  they  not  so  become 
in  religious  affairs  also,  since  salvation  is  the 


REMINISCENCES 


85 


greatest  and  most  valuable  thing  in  all  the  world? 

At  Wilmot,  Ind.,  is  a  very  spiritual  congrega- 
tion of  believers.  Many  years  ago  a  dry  preacher 
went  there  to  conduct  a  meeting.  Just  as  he  arose 
to  read  his  text  the  windows  of  heaven  were 
opened  and  the  saints  began  to  shout  under  the 
divine  blessing.  Soon  the  whole  place  was  a  blaze 
of  glory,  and  even  sinners  were  weeping.  The 
poor  preacher  was  not  in  this  element,  and  felt 
greatly  embarrassed.  Finally  he  sat  down,  while 
the  congregation  continued  praising  God.  He  was 
soon  under  conviction  for  a  living  experience  of 
salvation,  and  went  to  the  public  altar  and  re- 
quested the  happy  saints  to  pray  for  him  that  he 
might  also  be  a  partaker  of  this  good  thing.  In 
this  case  a  live  congregation  burned  a  dead  preach- 
er out  of  the  pulpit,  and  brought  him  to  his 
knees  for  salvation.  I  wish  there  were  more  such 
congregations. 

SOME  OF  MY  MISTAKES 

Mistakes— we  all  make  them.  But  instead  of  ^ 
our  letting  them  be  a  hindrance  to  our  spiritual 
progress,  we  can  profit  by  them,  improve  the  fu- 
ture, and  turn  each  one  into  a  blessing.  It  is  not 
very  pleasant  to  dwell  upon  our  past  blunders. 
I  have  often  thought  that  possibly  had  Peter  been 
r)resent  when  brethren  recorded  his  greatest  mis- 
takes in  life  he  might  have  pleaded  with  them  and 
said,     Please,  brethren,  omit  those  parts. I  am 


86 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


glad  they  are  on  record,  and  that  Paul  wrote 
down  one  of  Peter's  blunders  (see  Gal.-  2:11-16) 
and  then  at  the  same  time  called  him  a  "pillar.'' 
It  shows  that,  after  all,  these  men  were  but  human 
and  subject  to  making  mistakes.  At  heart  they 
were  loyal  to  God  and  his  cause. 

One  of  the  greatest  mistakes  of  my  early  min- 
istry was  to  open  up  new  fields  of  work  and  then 
rush  off  and  leave  them.  For  example,  in  Indiana 
County,  Pa.,  in  the  winter  of  1893-94,  we  raised 
up  several  strong  churches.  They  were  our  chil- 
dren in  the  Lord.  The  whole  community  was 
stirred  for  miles,  and  calls  for  meetings  came  in 
from  every  direction.  Had  I  remained  there  for 
a  few  years  and  taken  care  of  the  .tender  flocks 
until  capable  pastors  were  raised  up,  and  at  the 
same  time  evangelized  the  surrounding  commun- 
ities, there  would  today  be  a  mighty  work  to  show 
the  fruits  of  our  labors.  Instead  of  doing  this,  being 
one  of  the  "flying  ministry,"  I  felt  it  my  duty 
to  hurry  off  to  other  new  fields. 

Oh,  how^  those  dear  saints  pleaded  for  us  to  stay 
with  them,  feed  them,  and  protect  them!  Our 
answer  was,  "The  Lord  will  take  care  of  you." 
But,  alas!  after  our  departure  ^grievous  wolves 
entered  in,  not  sparing  the  flock';  and  today  some 
empty  church-houses  mark  the  place  of  a  once 
flourishing  work.  Oh,  how  sad  I  have  felt  over 
this  more  than  a  thousand  times  since!  In  the 
early  years  of  my  ministry  I  made  this  same  mis- 


REMINISCENCEIS 


87 


take  in  a  number  of  places.  I  am  sure  that  if  we 
had  properly  cared  for  the  work,  as  Paul  did  at 
Corinth,  the  present  reformation  movement  would 
today  embrace  several  times  the  number  of  people 
that  it  does. 

Another  blunder  was  my  method  of  instruction, 
or  lack  of  it.  Jesus  labored  more  than  three  years 
with  his  disciples  teaching  them  in  the  things  con- 
cerning the  kingdom  of  God,  and  yet  they  did  not 
fully  understand  what  he  would  have  them  know. 
He  said  to  them,  "I  have  yet  many  things  to  say 
unto  you,  but  ye  can  not  bear  them  now."  Even 
after  Pentecost  it  was  a  long  time  before  some  of 
the  apostles  got  rid  of  their  Jewish  ideas.  Paul 
was  at  Corinth  a  year  and  six  months,  and  then 
afterwards  addressed  these  brethren  as  follows,  ^^I 
have  fed  you  with  milk,  and  not  with  meat:  for 
liitherto  ye  were  not  able  to  bear  it,  neither  yet 
now  are  ye  able."  You  see,  Christ  and  the 
apostles  revealed  the  truth  gradually  to  the  people, 
just  as  they  could  comprehend  it.  In  the  first 
years  of  my  ministry  I  failed  to  observe  this  prin- 
ciple. In  a  short  meeting  of  a  few  weeks  we  en- 
deavored to  present  all  lines  of  truth.  In  the  first 
meeting  in  a  new  field  we  fed  milk  and  strong 
meat,  with  the  latter  far  the  larger  portion.  If 
the  people  could  not  at  once  grasp  it  all  and  accept 
it,  they  were  considered  blind,  and  in  many  cases 
deceived.  Oh,  what  a  serious  mistake!  It  makes 
me  think  of  a  schoolmaster  calling  up  a  class  of 


88  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


six-year-old  boys  and  girls  and  giving  them  a 
long  lesson  in  geometry.  They  would  be  able  to 
see  the  characters  on  the  blackboard,  but  not  one 
would  comprehend  them. 

I  have  gone  into  new  communities  and,  the  first 
week  of  the  meeting,  preached  on  such  themes  as 
the  "church,"  the  ''scattering  and  gathering  of 
God^s  people,"  the  ''Biblical  trace  of  the  church," 
and  "false  teachers."  Working  on  the  principle 
that  "His  sheep  hear  His  voice,  and  follow  Him," 
we  considered  all  who  did  not  at  once  accept  the 
teaching  as  outside  the  fold.  This  was  a  great 
mistake.  What  the  people  needed  was  "repent- 
ance," "conversion,"  regeneration,"  and  "full 
salvation  from  sin. '  ^  They  should  have  been  led 
gradually  into  the  deeper  and  stronger  truths. 
Here  is  seen  one  great  need  of  ministerial  train- 
ing-schools to  teach  young  ministers  right  methods 
of  work.  How  much  more  successful  should  we 
have  been  had  we  had  such  training! 

Some  people  comprehend  truth  sooner  than 
others.  I  have  known  some  to  sit  under  straight 
preaching  for  years  and  yet  not  see  every  point 
clear  enough  to  take  a  definite  stand.  A  few 
years  ago,  while  I  was  attending  camp-meeting  in 
Michigan,  Bro.  A.  B.  Palmer  and  F.  G.  Smith 
pointed  out  to  me  a  Mennonite  minister  who  was 
tenting  on  the  grounds.  They  said,  "Treat  this 
brother  with  all  Christian  courtesy.  He  has  been 
attending  our  meetings  occasionally  for  years,  and 


REMINISCENCES 


89 


even  attended  the  International  Meeting,  at  Ander- 
son, Indiana.  He  is  a  good  man  and  God  is  using 
him,  but  he  does  not  see  the  church  question 
clearly/'  I  made  it  a  point  to  become  acquainted 
with  this  brother.  I  found  him  to  be  a  very  de- 
voted Christian.  One  night  during  the  meeting 
the  Spirit  impressed  me  to  preach  on  the  church 
question,  and  at  the  same  time  I  clearly  felt  that 
the  message  was  for  this  minister.  At  the  close 
of  the  sermon  he  asked  permission  to  speak,  and 
then  took  the  pulpit.  Among  other  things  he 
said,  Brethren,  have  I  not  always  told  you  that 
if  I  ever  saw  this  point  clearly  I  would  accept  it? 
I  have  heard  it  preached  time  and  again,  but  to- 
night the  Lord  opened  my  mind  and  heart  to  see 
it  clearly  for  the  first  time.  Praise  God,  I  see  the 
truth.  I  discern  the  body  of  Christ.  I  am  with 
the  church  of  God  from  this  time  on."  It  pays 
to  take  time  and  be  patient  with  all  men. 


ON  THE  FLOATING  BETHEL 

The  prophet  Zechariah  predicted  that  the  domain 
of  Christ  would  extend  ^^from  the  river  even  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth.''  Bro.  George  T.  Clayton 
conceived  the  idea  that  a  gospel  boat  fitted  with 
living-rooms  and  a  chapel  would  be  a  splendid 
means  of  evangelizing  the  country.  His  plan  was 
to  have  the  boat  float  down  the  rivers  from  Pitts- 
burg, Pa.,  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  to  hold 
meetings  in  all  towns  and  cities  along  the  way. 


90 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Accordingly  he  made  sucli  an  outfit  of  a  flatboat 
about  30  by  150  feet,  and  named  it  the  "Floating 
Bethel."  Being  very  zealous  for  the  cause,  my 
wife  and  I  furnished  considerable  means  towards 
its  completion. 

When  finished,  it  was  anchored  near  Sixth  Street 
bridge,  Pittsburg.  The  chapel  was  spacious,  seat- 
ing a  few  hundred  people.  The  roof  was  flat,  and 
before  services  a  company  of  singers  would  gather 
there  and  sing  a  number  of  attractive  hymns.  Im- 
mense crowds  of  people  lined  the  bridge  to  listen, 
and  then  some  one  with  a  loud  voice  announced 
the  meeting.  Usually  the  chapel  was  well  filled. 
Brother  Warner  and  his  company  spent  several 
months  on  this  boat,  and  a  church  was  established 
in  this  city  as  a  result. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1894  the  cables  were 
untied  and  the  boat  started  floating  down  the  river. 
My  wife  and  I  joined  the  company  just  before 
they  started,  and  accompanied  them  on  the  first 
trip.  None  of  us  had  any  experience  in  navigation 
on  the  Ohio  River,  and  I  am  sure  that  had  not 
the  Lord  specially  protected  us,  we  should  all 
have  been  drowned.  The  only  means  of  guiding  the 
boat  were  two  very  large  oars  on  each  end.  It 
often  required  all  on  board— men  and  women— 
to  work  hard  with  these  oars.  By  this  means 
we  passed  from  one  side  of  the  stream  to  the 
other.  During  floods  we  were  out  all  hours  of 
the  night  tying  and  untying  cables.    And  as  the 


.REMINISCENCES 


91 


Hood  receded  we  had  to  keep  pushing  the  boat  out, 
or  in  tlie  morning  we  might  find  ourselves  on  dry 
land.  Once  it  lodged  on  a  large  rock  in  the  center 
of  the  stream  and  swung  round  and  round.  Had 
the  bottom  crashed  in,  nothing  would  have  saved 
us.  At  another  time  we  discovered  a  falls  ahead 
of  us,  and  to  go  over  it  meant  certain  death.  We 
plied  the  oars  faithfully  and  at  the  same  time 
called  mightily  upon  God  for  deliverance.  We 
reached  the  lock  and  passed  safely  through. 

We  stopped  at  about  all  towns  and  cities  on 
both  sides  of  the  Ohio.  As  soon  as  we  safely 
anchored,  we  would  gather  on  the  roof  of  the 
boat  and  sing.  Through  curiosity,  great  crowds 
assembled.  This  gave  us  a  fine  opportunity  to 
announce  our  meetings  and  reach  a  host  of  people. 
Many  congregations  were  thus  raised  up  in  these 
river  towns.  In  this  way  the  work  was  started 
at  Moundsville,  W.  Va.,  and,  afterwards,  through 
Brother  Clayton's  efforts,  the  Gospel  Trumpet 
Company  moved  there  from  Grand  Junction,  Mich. 

AMUSING  INCIDENTS  ALONG  THE  WAY 

There  is  a  jovial  side  to  every  well-balanced 
life.  The  ''merry  heart  hath  a  continual  feast." 
The  wise  man  said  there  is  a  time  to  laugh.'.' 
Ministers,  as  well  as  other  professional  men,  have 
their  embarrassments  and  amusing  experiences. 
In  the  lives  of  Peter  Cartwright  and  Lorenzo  Dow, 
embarrassments    and    amusing   experiences  were 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


very  prominent.  Many  were  the  laughable  occur- 
rences that  took  place  throughout  their  ministry. 

Two  Free  Methodist  preachers  with  whom  I  am 
well  acquainted  were  holding  meetings  in  Greens- 
burg,  Pa.  In  a  special  sei^ice  a  man  was  seeking 
holiness.  Their  method  emphasizes  dying-out  to 
sin.  The  seeker  at  the  altar  became  desperate  and 
cried  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "Let  me  die;  let  me 
die."  The  preachers  kept  saying,  "Kill  him,  kill 
him,  Lord."  A  man  on  the  street  heard  this  and 
supposed  that  a  murder  was  being  committed.  He 
ran  and  rang  the  police  alarm,  and  soon  the  place 
of  meeting  was  full  of  officers  in  blue  coats  ready 
to  arrest  the  murderers,  who  proved  to  be  harm- 
less holiness  preachers. 

A  brother  was  conducting  a  revival  in  a  home 
in  Michigan.  The  place  was  crowded  with  people. 
In  the  midst  of  his  sermon  he  became  very  happy 
and  took  a  high  jump.  Allien  he  came  down  the 
floor  broke  through,  and  he  landed  in  the  cellar 
below.  The  congregation  was  left  without  a 
preacher  until  he  climbed  out  of  the  basement  and 
resumed  his  sermon. 

Two  ministers,  one  an  Irishman,  were  holding 
meetings  in  a  theater  in  a  large  city.  They  used 
the  stage  for  the  pulpit.  The  first  night  of  the 
meeting  the  Irishman  preached.  The  other  brother 
was  sitting  near  the  edge  of  the  stage;  all  of  a 
sudden  he  lost  his  balance  and  landed  on  his  back 
about  seven  feet  below.    The  man  in  the  pulpit 


KKMINISCENCES 


stopped  preaching  for  a  moment,  and  without  even 
smiling  looked  down  at  his  fellow  minister  and 
said,  *^Well.'^  The  news  of  what  had  happened 
spread  rapidly  over  the  city,  and  during  the  rest 
of  the  meeting  the  place  was  crowded  to  its  capacity 
every  night. 

While  I  was  preaching  in  a  large  grove  in  the 
Soldiers^  National  Home  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  to  an 
immense  crowd  of  people,  my  false  teeth  flew  out 
of  my  mouth.  I  was  standing  on  a  large  platform, 
and  they  lit  on  the  ground  below.  This  was  a 
very  embarrassing  situation  indeed.  But  a  preach- 
er must  be  ready  for  any  emergency.  A  friend 
from  the  congregation  came  forward  and  handed 
me  my  teeth.  I  turned  my  back  to  the  crowd  and 
with  my  handkerchief  cleaned  the  dirt  off  my 
teeth,  then  replaced  them  in  my  mouth,  and  with  a 
smile  turned  to  the  congregation  and  remarked, 
^'Well,  such  things  will  sometimes  happen;  but  all 
things  work  for  our  good,"  and  continued  my 
sermon. 

The  most  embarrassing  circumstance  that  I 
ever  faced  occurred  in  an  ordinance  service  at  Vin- 
tondale,  Pa.  Bro.  I.  S.  McCoy  was  with  me.  Just 
before  administering  the  communion  Supper,  I 
took  the  small  loaf  from  the  plate  and  began  to 
explain  its  meaning.  When  I  reached  the  point 
that  in  this  sacred  ordinance  we  show  the  Lord^s 
death  till  he  comes  again,  and  that  the  broken 
loaf  represents  his  body  broken  for  us,  I  attempt- 


94 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


ed  to  break  the  loaf,  and  to  my  surprize  could  not 
do  it.  The  loaf  seemed  as  hard  as  rock;  I  could 
not  break  it.  Imagine  my  perplexity— a  congre- 
gation of  people  looking  on,  and  in  the  most 
solemn  part  of  the  observance!  What  to  do  I 
did  not  know.  Brother  McCoy  took  in  the  situa- 
tion at  a  glance,  and,  stepping  up  to  the  pulpit, 
said,  ''Give  me  that  bread,  I  will  go  outside  and 
break  it,  while  you  sing  'His  yoke  is  easy,  his  bur- 
den is  light.'  I  sang  the  hymn  until  he  returned 
with  the  broken  loaf,  and  then  we  proceeded  with 
the  service.  It  takes  all  kind  of  experiences  to 
make  up  life. 


EXPERIENCES  WITH  ACCUSATIONS 

Satan,  whether  working  through  ecclesiastical 
world  powers  like  pagan  Rome,  or  directly  and 
individually,  is  the  "accuser  of  the  brethren," 
and  it  is  said  he  accuses  them  "day  and  night." 
Paul  informs  us  that  it  is  possible  for  the  arch- 
fiend to  transform  himself  "into  an  angel  of  light." 
This  is  what  makes  it  difficult  at  times  clearly  to 
discern  between  the  voice  of  God  and  the  whisper- 
ings of  Satan. 

Being  of  a  very  sensitive  nature,  and  desiring 
to  be  right  on  every  line  in  experience  and  life, 
I  was  picked  on  by  the  enemy  as  a  good  target 
at  which  to  shoot  his  arrows  of  accusations.  The 
first  three  years  of  my  ministry  were  checkered 
by  seasons  of  awful  mental  suffering  and  torment. 


REMINISCENCES 


95 


Some  of  the  most  powerful  and  fruitful  meetings 
1  ever  held  were  held  during  this  time.  But,  strange 
to  say,  after  laboring  with  souls  at  the  altar,  and 
witnessing  many  bright  conversions,  I  would  re- 
tire to  my  room  and  there  be  beset  by  clouds 
of  darkness  and  discouragement.  Really,  I  was 
in  a  hell  of  mental  suifering,  which  often  continued 
until  the  service  the  following  night.  Often  as  I 
stepped  into  the  pulpit  the  clouds  lifted,  and  the 
power  and  glory  of  God  would  rest  upon  me 
throughout  the  service;  but  after  the  close,  the 
same  tormenting  experience  would  be  repeated. 

The  devil  usually  whispered:  ^^You  are  deceiv- 
ed"; ^^The  Lord  is  doing  all  he  can  for  you  in  your 
condition";  After  preaching  to  others,  you  will 
be  a  castaway";  am  sure  of  you.  I  will  drag 
you  to  hell";  **Your  experience  is  a  sham;  you 
are  not  really  saved  at  all."  The  moment  I  would 
listen  to  this,  then  the  enemy  would  suggest,  **You 
are  possessed  of  evil  spirits,  there  is  no  hope." 
Really,  at  such  times  I  felt  as  though  I  was  aban- 
doned by  God  and  man.  A  person  really  possessed 
by  the  devil  could  not  suffer  greater  torment  than 
I  passed  through.  Many  times  I  would  go  to  the 
brethren  and  have  them  lay  hands  on  me;  but 
this  gave  me  only  temporary  relief. 

During  these  three  years  I  lived  a  prayerful, 
pure  life  before  God.  Even  though  I  spent  much 
time  in  doubts  and  fears,  it  was  a  mental  state, 
and  did  not  affect  my  soul.   As  I  now  look  back  at 


96 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


that  time,  I  am  conscious  that  God  was  with  me 
throughout  it  all.  But,  as  with  Job,  he  permitted 
me  to  be  placed  into  Satan's  hands  for  a  season, 
to  fit  me  for  service,  that  I  might  be  able  in  later 
years  to  help  others  in  like  state.  I  have  had 
plenty  of  opportunity  to  assist  others  under  the 
accusing  power,  and  to  comfort  them  ^with  the 
comfort  wherewith  I  was  comforted.' 


DOOR  OF  ENTRANCE  FOR  ACCUSATIONS 

I  am  sure  that  the  primary  door  through  which 
Satan  entered  to  attack  me  was  my  failure  to  ob- 
tain a  satisfactory  experience  in  my  soul  in  the 
meeting  where  I  first  accepted  the  full  gospel.  This, 
like  a  wedge,  opened  a  place  for  Satan  to  accuse 
me.  If  I  failed  there,  possibly  my  later  exper- 
ience was  not  genuine!  On  this  very  point  the 
wily  accuser  first  attacked  me.  He  reasoned,  and 
I  listened.  The  moment  I  allowed  a  single  doubt 
to  enter  my  mind,  it  seemed  my  shield  was  gone, 
and  dart  after  dart  pierced  me  until  my  power  to 
resist  almost  left  me. 

This  has  been  an  everlasting  lesson  to  me.  Oh, 
the  danger  of  shallow  altar-work!  Many  times  my 
soul  has  been  grieved  to  see  people  rushed  through 
into  a  profession,  and  thus  caused  to  leave  the  altar 
with  no  joy  and  peace,  no  satisfaction,  no  victory, 
no  shout  of  praise.  Some  workers  have  talked, 
talked,  talked  into  their  ears,  and  told  them  to  be- 
lieve, and  the  work  is  done."    This  is  exactly 


REMINISCENCES 


97 


what  I  was  instructed  to  do,  and  it  cost  me  years 
of  torment  and  suffering.  I  have  always  stood 
for  thorough  w^rk  at  the  altar.  People  should 
seek  God  until  every  craving  of  their  heart  is 
fully  satisfied. 

Another  cause  was  my  sensitive  nature  and 
overconscientiousness.  Little  things  that  did  not 
disturb  others'  peace,  bothered  me.  If  anything 
was  manifest  in  my  life  and  experience  that  was 
not  up  to  the  highest  standard  of  ideals,  I  was 
ready  to  accept  it  as  a  lack  in  me.  Really  I  accused 
myself.  This,  however,  was  partly  due  to  a 
standard  of  preaching  that  was  too  high  to  be 
practical.  A  clear  distinction  was  not  made  be- 
tween the  sinful,  fallen  nature  in  man,  and  our 
own  human  weaknesses,  dispositions,  and  temper- 
aments. True  holiness  does  not  destroy  our  human- 
ity. We  retain  all  our  natural  temperaments,  our 
likes  and  dislikes,  and  these  differ  widely  in  peo- 
ple. Some  are  slow,  calm,  and  easy-going,  while 
others  are  nervous  and  impulsive.  This  idealistic 
standard  of  teaching  that  no  one  lived  and  no  one 
could  attain  to,  caused  me  much  trouble  and  con- 
fusion. 

And  lastly,  I  am  confident  that  the  Lord  per- 
mitted some  of  these  things  to  come  upon  me  to 
teach  me  lessons  that  have  been  most  profitable 
in  my  ministry  in  after  years.  I  have  been  able 
to  help  many  others  who  were  passing  through 
similar  experiences.    I  have  more  sympathy  and 


98 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


patience  in  dealing  with  souls.  I  can  take  time 
to  ^  ^  strengthen  the  weak,  and  comfort  the  feeble- 
minded. ' ' 


VICTORY  OVER  ACCUSATIONS 

Paul  said,  ''The  God  of  peace  shall  bruise  Satan 
under  your  feet  shortly (Kom.  16:20).  The  be- 
loved John  has  told  us,  ^'This  is  the  victory  that 
overcometh  the  world,  even  our  faith' ^  (John  5:4). 
But  such  faith  must  have  a  solid  foundation,  and 
that  foundation  is  the  Word  of  God.  These  things 
"are  written,  that  ye  might  believe  .  .  .  ;  and  that 
believing  ye  might  have  life  through  his  name." 

I  decided  to  settle  everything  by  the  Bible,  to 
stake  my  eternal  salvation  upon  the  written  Word, 
^Hhe  Word  only.''  I  carefully  studied  every  con- 
dition for  salvation,  and  found  that  I  had  com- 
plied with  each  one  of  them.  Then  the  ''exceeding 
great  and  precious  promises"  were  all  mine,  yes 
mine.  Upon  these  promises  I  planted  my  feet. 
I  made  a  covenant  with  the  Lord  something  like 
this.  "If  I  never  receive  a  blessing,  a  good  feel- 
ing, a  sensation  of  joy  until  my  dying  day,  I 
will  never  doubt  thy  Word.  I  will  go  to  the  judg- 
ment resting  my  souPs  salvation  upon  the  Scrip- 
tures. Here  once  for  all  I  cast  my  helpless  self 
upon  thy  promises,  and  I  rest  secure  in  knowing 
that  they  can  not  fail.  God  can  not  deny  his 
Word,  it  was  confirmed  with  the  oath  of  the  Al- 
mighty, and  sealed  and  ratified  by  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ." 


REMINISCENCES 


99 


That  ended  my  troubles,  and  an  everlasting 
victory  was  mine.  For  twenty-seven  years  I  have 
never  suffered  an  hour  under  accusations  of  the 
devil.  Oh,  halleluiah!  Satan  often  comes  like  a 
flood;  but  'the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  lifts  up  a  stand- 
ard against  him.'  Faith  wards  off  every  dart. 
From  that  time  until  now  I  have  not  lacked  the 
rich  blessing  of  the  Lord  upon  my  soul.  Amidst 
the  hardest  trials,  the  greatest  temptations,  the 
most  complex  problems  and  diffilcult  obstacles  of 
life— and  they  are  plentiful— faith  reposes  calmly 
upon  the  rock  of  eternal  truth,  unshaken,  un- 
moved. To  the  triune  God  all  praise  and  glory 
shall  be  given  forever. 


THE  BLESSING  OF  A  GOOD  WIFE 

Solomon  said,  Whoso  findeth  a  wife  findeth  a 
good  thing,  and  obtaineth  favor  of  the  Lord.'' 
This  has  been  true  in  my  case.  In  all  the  dis- 
couraging times  through  which  I  have  passed,  she 
has  stood  by  me  like  a  supporting  wall.  During 
the  years  of  suffering  and,  later,  of  affliction  that 
I  was  called  to  endure,  she  never  failed  to  com- 
fort, encourage,  and  earnestly  pray  for  me.  When 
under  dark  storm-clouds,  when  it  seemed  my  bark 
of  life  would  be  engulfed  by  the  turbulent  waters, 
when  I  was  tempted  to  give  up  in  despair,  she 
stood  at  my  side  like  a  rock  in  the  billows,  and 
helped  anchor  my  soul. 

I  am  speaking  conservatively  when  I  say  that 


100 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


the  success  of  my  ministry  thus  far  has  depended 
much  upon  my  wife.  Being  of  an  impulsive  dis- 
position, I  should  have  made  many  sad  blunders 
had  she  not  balanced  me  by  her  wise  counsel  and 
faithful  warnings.  More  than  once  I  made  mis- 
takes because  I  failed  to  heed  her  advice.  In  the 
early  years  of  my  ministry,  while  I  was  away 
from  home  about  ten  months  of  the  year,  the  re- 
sponsibility and  burden  of  rearing  and  training 
the  children  was  hers.  Her  pure,  devoted  life 
has  been  a  constant  inspiration  to  me.  Our  little 
bark  has  passed  through  some  rough  places,  but 
by  the  grace  of  God  we  shall  gain  the  eternal 
haven  of  rest. 


AFFLICTED  FOR  SEVEN  YEARS 

About  the  year  1900  I  became  afflicted  with 
catarrh  of  the  stomach.  This  continued  for  seven 
long  years,  until  it  develox)ed  into  tuberculosis  of 
the  bowels.  The  suffering  of  those  years  I  can 
not  describe.  I  could  eat  scarcely  anything  with- 
out severe  pain.  Sleep  seemed  to  be  a  stranger; 
and  night  after  night  I  have  walked  through  the 
fields  and  along  the  public  roads,  being  so  ner- 
vous I  could  not  rest.  I  grew  thin  and  pale,  and 
so  weak  that  many  times  while  preaching  I  would 
grasp  the  pulpit  to  balance  myself. 

During  these  years  I  prayed  constantly  for  heal- 
ing. At  camp-meetings  and  other  general  services 
the  whole  multitude  of  brethren  importuned  the 


REMINISCENCES 


101 


Lord  in  my  behalf.  I  was  anointed  and  had  hands 
laid  upon  me  for  my  recovery  more  than  a  score 
of  times.  I  would  receive  temporary  relief,  but 
not  permanent  healing.  While  L  had  received  in- 
stantaneous healing  before  this,  and  so  also  had 
my  family,  it  seemed  that  the  Lord  was  pleased  to 
withhold  this  blessing  at  this  time.  However,  I 
continued  in  the  ministry,  and  preached  healing; 
and  many  wonderful  healings  and  some  miracles 
were  granted  in  answer  to  my  prayers. 

Job  was  terribly  afflicted  by  Grod's  permission. 
Paul  left  'Trophimus  at  Miletum  sick^  (2  Tim. 
4:20).  Timothy  had  "often  infirmities''  (1  Tim. 
5:23).  Paul  himself  preached  the  gospel  "through 
infirmity  of  the  flesh"  (Gal.  4:13-15).  These  ex- 
amples encouraged  me  to  know  that  it  is  no  evi- 
dence of  a  lack  of  love  and  devotion  to  God  on  the 
part  of  his  people  when  they  are  called  to  pass 
through  severe  afflictions.  "Many  are  the  afflic- 
tions of  the  righteous,"  and  these  sometimes  in- 
clude physical  ailments. 


LESSONS  LEARNED  IN  AFFLICTION 

Some  of  the  richest  and  most  valuable  things  of 
life  come  to  us  in  the  hours  of  deepest  suffering. 
David  wrote  some  of  his  sweetest  psalms  when  he 
was  passing  through  rough  places.  The  great 
apostle  Paul  was  met  in  every  place  with  "bonds 
and  afflictions."  But  his  strength  "was  made 
perfect  in  weakness."    The  three  Hebrews  en- 


102 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


joyed  a  special  visit  from  the  Son  of  God  while 
walking  in  the  fiery  furnace.  Daniel  spent  a  prof- 
itable night  with  the  angel  of  God  in  the  den  of 
lions.  The  immortal  Pilgrim's  Progress  was  in- 
spired in  a  prison  dungeon.  This  is  the  history 
of  the  ages.    It  is  God's  way. 

It  may  be  a  question  in  some  minds  why  I  was 
not  healed,  why  I  suffered  so  long.  It  was  also 
a  great  problem  with  me  until  it  was  all  over, 
then  I  clearly  understood.    I  learned  four  things: 

First,  I  learned  the  lesson  of  sympathy  and  com- 
passion for  others.  I  reached  the  place  where  I 
craved  sympathy  from  everybody.  A  kind  look 
was  soothing,  a  kind  word  highly  appreciated. 
Since  then  I  can  enter  into  the  sick-room  with 
feeling  and  compassion,  and  pray  more  fervently 
for  those  needing  help. 

Second,  I  learned  that  what  we  desire  from  the 
Lord  must  be  for  his  glory  rather  than  for  our 
personal  comfort.  I  looked  upon  others  who  en- 
joyed health  and  wished  and  longed  to  be  like 
them.  I  saw  them  eat  all  kinds  of  good  food,  and 
wished  to  enjoy  the  same  food.  I  observed  how 
they  slept  and  were  refreshed  during  the  night, 
while  I  walked  through  the  fields;  I  desired  this 
rest  also.  As  long  as  I  prayed  with  these  desires 
predominant  in  my  mind,  I  received  nothing  from 
the  Lord,  Finally  I  reached  the  place  where  I 
said,  *'Lord,  if  it  will  please  thee  for  me  to 
suffer  like  this  all  my  days,  I  am  submissive  to 


REMINISCENCES 


103 


thy  will.  I  give  up  every  selfish  personal  desire, 
and  seek  only  thy  glory.'' 

Third,  1  learned  appreciation  and  thankfulness. 
We  usually  appreciate  what  costs  us  much  hard 
labor.  What  conies  to  us  without  corresponding 
toil  we  soon  forget  and  fail  to  value.  I  have  re- 
ceived hundreds  of  definite  answers  to  prayer,  but 
the  majority  have  passed  from  memory.  This  one 
remains.  I  will  never  forget  it.  The  Lord  has 
received  more  real,  heartfelt  thanksgiving  and 
praise  from  this  one  healing  than  all  the  rest  to- 
gether. 

Fourth,  I  learned  the  lesson  of  importunity.  The 
Bible  is  full  of  examples  where  people  prayed  un- 
ceasingly and  for  a  long  time  before  receiving  an 
answer.  Think  how  long  Abraham  waited  before 
the  Lord  fulfilled  his  promise  and  gave  him  a  son. 
Daniel  prayed  for  weeks  and  months  for  his  peo- 
ple. Afterwards  he  was  told  that  at  the  beginning 
his  supplications  were  heard.  But  for  some  rea- 
son the  answer  was  withheld.  I  am  confident  that 
very  often  people  faint  and  give  up  just  before 
the  victory  comes.  I  have  learned  from  this  ex- 
perience never  to  cease  calling  upon  the  Lord  until 
the  answer  is  received. 


MIRACULOUSLY  HEALED 

In  the  summer  of  1907  Bro.  J.  Grant  Anderson 
and  I  were  conducting  a  tent-meeting  at  Frank- 
lin, Pa.    One  evening,  as  we  started  down  the 


104  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


street  to  meeting,  I  became  so  tired  from  bodily 
weakness  that  I  was  compelled  to  sit  down  upon 
a  porch  along  the  way  to  rest.  While  sitting  there 
I  opened  a  letter  just  received  from  I.  S.  McCoy. 
This  letter  said,  ^'Brother  Riggle,  be  encouraged, 
you  are  going  to  be  healed.  Every  day  since  the 
Moundsville  (W.  Va.)  camp-meeting  I  have  named 
you  out  to  the  Lord  for  recovery.  I  am  sure  he 
will  answer."  As  I  read  this,  instantly  the  power 
of  God  filled  my  whole  being.  As  with  an  electric 
current  my  body  was  charged  with  healing  vir- 
tue. I  leaped  to  my  feet,  and  said  to  Brother 
Anderson,  ''My  boy,  I  am  healed!"  He  shouted, 
"Glory  to  God,  I  believe  you  are."  A  new 
strength  came  into  my  body.  I  preached  that  night 
mth  my  old-time  energy,  went  home  and  slept  all 
night  like  a  child,  arose  the  next  day  and  ate  three 
large  meals  with  a  relish,  and  never  had  a  pain. 
1  gained  twelve  pounds  in  flesh  the  first  two  weeks. 
1  have  been  a  well  man  ever  since.  That  was 
sixteen  years  ago.  I  am  wiriting  this  while  our 
boat  is  passing  through  the  Dardanelles  from  Con- 
stantinople to  Smyrna,  and  I  wish  to  testify  that 
I  enjoy  perfect  health.  I  weigh  190  pounds.  I 
was  examined  by  a  good  physician,  and  he  pro- 
nounced me,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one,  as  normal  in 
health  and  blood-pressure  as  a  young  man  of 
twenty-two.  To  God  be  praise  and  glory  forever! 
Yes,  my  whole  spirit  says  glory  to  God  in  the 
highest.    How  good  God  is!    Oh,  I  love  him  with 


REMINISCENCES 


105 


all  my  heart!  And  I  expect  some  day  to  cast  my 
crown  at  his  blessed  feet. 


HEALINGS  AND  MIRACLES 

For  thirty  years  I  have  preached  and  practised 
divine  healing.  The  Lord  has  been  our  family 
physician  during  all  this  time.  Many  have  been 
the  answers  to  prayer  in  our  home  in  time  of  sick- 
ness. Two  of  our  children  were  miraculously 
healed  when  lying  at  the  point  of  death  with 
pneumonia.  Another  was  raised  up  from  cholera 
infantum  when  so  low  that  her  eyes  were  set  and 
she  was  growing  cold.  My  wife  was  cured  of 
bleeding  or  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs.  These  are  but 
a  few  instances  of  many  I  could  mention.  How 
gracious  the  Lord  has  been  to  us !  Praise  his  dear 
name  forever! 

I  have  witnessed  hundreds  of  healings  and  mir- 
acles wrought  by  the  power  of  God.  These  in- 
clude about  all  kinds  of  diseases  common  to  man- 
kind—fevers, cancers  and  other  tumors,  consump- 
tion, etc.  I  have  witnessed  the  blind  made  to  see. 
In  Oakland,  CaL,  at  the  home  of  Bro.  J.  W.  Byers, 
I  sat  at  the  table  and  ate  with  a  sister  who  was 
bom  blind  and  who  never  saw  the  light  of  day 
until  past  thirty  years  old,  and  then  received  her 
sight  in  answer  to  prayer.  I  have  seen  the  deaf 
have  their  ears  unstopped  and  the  lame  made  to 
walk.  Jesus  heals  just  the  same  today  as  he  did 
when  here  in  person. 


106  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


In  1895,  while  I  was  holding  meetings  in  East 
Liverpool,  Ohio,  a  brother  and  I  went  out  calling 
from  house  to  house  one  evening,  inviting  people 
to  meeting.  We  entered  a  home  where  an  old  lady 
was  terribly  afQicted  with  sciatic  rheumatism.  She 
was  all  drawn  together  and  did  not  have  the  use 
of  her  limbs,  and  was  suffering  the  most  excruciat- 
ing pains.  My  compassion  went  out  to  her,  and 
I  remembered  what  Jesus  said  to  the  seventy: 
"Into  whatsoever  city  ye  enter,  .  .  .  heal  the  sick 
that  are  therein."  I  told  her  that  Jesus  was  able 
to  heal  her,  and  without  further  questioning  we 
anointed  her  with  oil  and  laid  hands  upon  her, 
offering  the  simple  prayer  of  faith.  Suddenly 
she  leaped  to  her  feet  and  began  to  show  us  that 
she  had  the  use  of  her  limbs.  She  first  walked, 
then  ran  back  and  forth  in  the  room  praising  God 
for  perfect  healing.  When  we  left  her  house  she 
v/as  still  shouting  and  praising  the  Lord.  This 
was  the  last  time  I  ever  saw  her,  but  I  believe  I 
will  meet  that  old  Presbyterian  lady  in  the  para- 
dise of  God. 

In  1913,  while  Bro.  E.  E.  Byrum  and  I  were 
taking  a  twelve-thousand-mile  evangelistic  tour, 
covering  seventeen  States  and  thirty-seven  cities, 
we  held  meetings  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.  During  a 
divine-healing  service  a  woman  whose  lower  limbs 
were  encased  with  steel  braces,  because  of  infantile 
paralysis  was  brought  forward  for  prayer.  When 
questioned,  she  remarked,     Thank  God,  I  have 


REMINISCENCES 


107 


i'aitii  to  be  healed."  When  prayer  was  offered, 
she  arose  and  requested  the  braces  to  be  removed, 
and  then  ran  through  the  church  giving  God  the 
glory.  The  whole  congregation  of  saints  joined 
in  the  holy  demonstrations.  Those  braces  can  be 
seen  in  Brother  Byrum's  relic-room  in  Anderson, 
Ind.  I  have  met  this  sister  within  the  last  few 
years  and  she  is  still  healed,  and  walks  to  church 
without  assistance. 

A  few  weeks  later  we  were  holding  meetings  in 
Oklahoma  City.  The  last  night  of  the  meeting  a 
man  came  to  us  with  a  very  pitiful  story.  Be 
said  that  his  wife  was  a  raving  maniac  at  the 
asylum,  and  he  was  left  with  a  large  family  of 
children.  He  urgently  requested  us  to  pray  for 
her  recovery.  We  took  a  handkerchief  and  poured 
oil  upon  it,  then  laid  our  hands  upon  it,  and 
offered  prayer  that  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
would  accompany  it.  We  instructed  the  man  to  go 
to  the  asylum  and  lay  the  handkerchief  upon  his 
wife  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  We  left  the  next 
day  for  California  and  did  not  learn  the  result. 

About  two  months  later,  on  our  return  eastward, 
we  were  holding  a  revival  in  Denver,  Colo.  This 
man  came  to  us  and,  with  his  face  beaming  with 
smiles,  introduced  to  us  his  wife  and  children.  He 
said  he  and  his  family  were  on  their  way  from  Okla- 
homa to  Idaho,  to  make  their  home  there.  Then 
he  related  to  us  that  he  went  to  the  asylum  and 
applied  the  handkerchief  as  instructed,  and  his 
wife's  mind  was  fully  restored  immediately. 


108  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


TAKING  THE  HUMBLE  SIDE 

When  Jesus  stood  before  Pilate,  the  Jews  ac- 
cused Jesus  of  many  things.  Pilate  remarked, 
''Hearest  thou  not  how  many  things  they  witness 
against  thee!"  Jesus  could  have  defended  himself, 
but  ^^he  answered  him  to  never  a  word."  What 
an  example  for  us!  It  is  easier  to  resent  it  and 
retaliate  when  you  are  misjudged  and  severely 
criticized  and  a  wrong  sentiment  has  been  created 
against  you,  than  it  is  to  manifest  that  charity 
which  ^^sutfereth  long,  and  is  kind,"  which  **bear- 
eth  all  things"  and  ^^endureth  all  things." 

It  has  been  my  lot  at  times  to  pass  through 
places  where  a  wrong  sentiment  has  been  created 
against  me,  when  I  was  judged  and  severely  cen- 
sured, and  at  the  same  time  was  innocent  before 
God.  This  is  natural  from  the  fact  that  people 
are  too  prone  to  judge  after  the  sight  of  the  eyes 
and  the  hearing  of  the  ears.  Paul  had  much  of 
this  to  endure.  One  time  he  tells  us,  *'No  man 
stood  with  me,  but  all  men  forsook  me"  (2  Tim. 
4:16).  But  his  consolation  was  expressed  as  fol- 
lows, Notwithstanding  the  Lord  stood  with  me, 
and  strengthened  me." 

I  have  made  it  a  rule  of  life  always  to  take  the 
humble  side  and  submit,  even  though  the  reproofs 
and  sharp  rebukes  are  misdirected.  I  have  fallen 
upon  my  face  at  my  brethren's  feet  and  pleaded 
for  mercy,  when  it  seemed  judgment  was  dealt  out 
without  mercy.    I  will  not  allow  division  to  come 


REMINISCENCES 


109 


between  me  and  my  dear  brethren;  for  we  are 
fellow  laborers  in  one  cause.  If  some  one  asks 
me,  Where  did  you  receive  those  stripes!"  my 
reply  will  be,  '^In  the  house  of  my  friends,' ' 

I  have  never  lost  anything  by  taking  the  humble 
side  of  things.  In  the  end  I  gained  immensely. 
Sometimes  at  the  moment  it  would  appear  as 
though  I  was  the  loser;  but  in  every  case  I  finally 
profited  greatly.  If  we  remain  true  to  God,  mani- 
fest a  good  spirit,  God,  who  knoweth  the  hearts, 
will  lift  us  up.  On  this  very  point  Paul  says, 
^'But  with  me  it  is  a  very  small  thing  that  I 
should  be  judged  of  you,  or  of  man's  judgment. 
.  .  .  He  that  judgeth  me  is  the  Lord'*  (1  Cor. 
4:3,  4). 

GENERAL  EVANGELISTIC  WORK 

Our  gifts  differ  '^according  to  the  grace  that  is 
given  to  us.''  For  the  perfecting  of  the  saints, 
and  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  the  Lord,  through 
the  Spirit,  sets  in  the  church  apostles,  prophets, 
evangelists,  pastors  and  teachers  (Rom.  12:6; 
Eph.  4:8-13).  To  be  successful,  we  must  find  our 
calling,  and  then  function  in  the  vocation  God  has 
assigned  to  us.  Paul  knew  his  place  in  the  church, 
and  time  and  again  acknowledged  that  he  was  ^^an 
apostle  of  Jesus  Christ  through  the  will  of  God.*' 
It  was  not  his  own  selection  of  office;  he  tells  us, 
**By  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what  I  am." 

My  special  gift  is  that  of  an  evangelist.    It  is 


110 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


in  the  field  of  evangelistic  endeavor  that  I  have 
had  greatest  success.  It  is  here  that  I  am  in  con- 
stant demand.  More  urgent  calls  are  continually 
pouring  in  to  me  from  the  general  field,  both  home 
and  foreign,  than  five  evangelists  could  fill.  I  hope 
to  devote  the  remainder  of  my  life  to  this  line  of 
work. 

During  the  thirty  years  of  my  ministry,  most 
of  it  has  been  spent  in  general  field-work.  I  have 
held  evangelistic  meetings  in  about  all  the  States, 
and  in  a  number  of  Canadian  cities.  The  Lord 
has  blessed  me  with  a  clear,  loud  voice,  and  the 
Spirit  has  used  it  in  preaching  to  thousands  dur- 
ing the  summer  camp-meeting  season.  Evangelistic 
work  is  very  strenuous;  but  God  has  given  me  a 
strong  physical  body  to  endure  hard  service.  My 
energy  and  strength  shall  be  devoted  wholly  to 
soul-saving  work.  What  a  sweet,  satisfying  life 
it  is,  when  we  are  all  on  the  altar  of  sacrifice  and 
service  to  God! 


A  BUSY  LIFE 

Early  in  my  ministry  I  began  writing  for  the 
Gospel  Trumpet.  During  the  last  thirty  years  I 
have  contributed  to  this  paper  about  seven  hundred 
articles  covering  a  wide  field  of  Biblical  themes. 
The  constantly  increasing  demand  for  pure  gospel 
literature,  and  the  great  opportunity  to  preach  to 
tens  of  thousands  all  around  the  world,  was  to 
Trie  an  incentive  to  write  as  well  as  proclaim  the 


REMINISCENCES 


111 


gospel  from  the  pulpit.  Thank  God  for  the  print- 
ing-press and  other  modern  facilities  with  which 
to  girdle  the  earth  with  burning  lines  of  gospel 
fire.  While  the  world  is  being  flooded  with  trashy 
matter,  it  seems  to  me  we  should  bend  every  effort 
to  convert  all  the  means  that  have  been  provided 
to  the  rapid  spreading  of  the  saving  truth  to  all 
nations.  The  dissemination  of  light  to  darkened 
hearts,  the  salvation  of  the  teeming  millions  around 
us  and  the  edification  of  the  church  has  been  my 
only  motive  in  using  the  pen  to  proclaim  what  I 
sincerely  believe  is  the  truth. 

During  the  first  ten  years  of  my  activities  in 
gospel  work  I  wrote  the  following  books:  Two 
Works  of  Grace;  The  Kingdom  of  God  and  the 
One  Thousand  Years  Reign;  Bible  Readings  for 
Bible  Students  and  for  the  Home  and  Fireside; 
The  Cleansing  of  the  Sanctuary.  This  latter  work 
was  begun  by  D.  S.  Warner  before  his  death.  He 
had  written  about  two  hundred  pages.  I  com- 
pleted it,  adding  about  three  hundred  pages.  All 
these  books  are  now  out  of  print. 

Later  I  wrote  the  following  Works,  which  can 
be  obtained  from  the  publishers  of  this  book:  The 
Sabbath  and  the  Lord's  Day;  Man— His  Present 
and  Ftiture;  The  Christian  Church— Its  Rise  and 
Progress ;  Christian  Baptism;  Christ's  Kingdom 
and  Reign;  Christ's  Second  Coming  and  What 
Will  Follow;  Roman  Catholicism  in  the  Light 
of  Their  Own  Scriptures  and  Authorities," 


112 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Most  of  these  books  were  written  on  the  field, 
while  engaged  in  active  evangelistic  work.  I  have 
preached  once  and  twice  a  day  in  revival-meetings 
and  also  spent  from  four  to  six  hours  writing. 
According  to  my  diary  I  have  preached  over  nine 
thousand  sermons.  I  mention  these  things  only 
to  show  that  I  have  spent  a  busy  life.  I  realize 
that  life  is  very  short,  that  every  moment  is  laden 
with  eternal  responsibilities,  and  that  all  our  op- 
portunities to  work  will  soon  be  ended.  It  is  my 
greatest  desire  to  give  my  best  to  Christ.  I  want 
all  my  strength  to  be  spent  for  his  glory.  When 
T  take  a  brief  retrospect  of  my  life,  it  seems  I 
have  accomplished  little.  I  feel  certain  that  much 
more  can  be  done  with  less  human  effort  if  we 
will  partake  more  of  the  divine.  Lord,  help  me! 
^Vhen  my  last  hour  comes  I  hope  to  be  able  to 
say  with  the  Master,  ^^I  have  finished  the  work 
which  thou  gavest  me  to  do." 

TEN  YEARS  OF  PASTORAL  WORK 

In  1908  we  moved  from  Cambridge  Springs  to 
Oakland,  Pa.  Here  was  a  small  assembly  of  about 
twenty-five  saints,  with  a  good-sized  house  of  wor- 
ship. They  were  considerably  in  debt  on  their 
church-building.  By  adopting  a  system  of  raising 
money,  we  paid  off  all  church  indebtedness  inside 
of  a  year.  At  the  same  time  these  few  liberal 
brethren  supported  their  pastor.  In  the  first  win- 
ter's revival  about  forty  members  were  added  to 


REMINISCENCES 


113 


the  assembly,  and  the  number  increased  later  to 
about  one  hundred.  We  organized  a  Sunday-school 
with  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  enrolled. 

Dfuring  our  pastorate  there  we  held  a  revival 
at  Middle  Run,  nine  miles  distant,  at  the  close  of 
which  I  baptized  fifty-five  converts.  Here  we 
erected  a  church-building,  and  a  good,  strong 
assembly  was  established.  The  Sunday-school 
numbered  about  seventy-five.  We  also  opened  a 
branch  work  at  New  Bethlehem,  where  there  was 
also  a  prosperous  Sunday-school.  We  remained 
on  this  field  six  years.  I  also  did  some  evangelistic 
work. 

Ofur  experience  caring  for  these  assemblies  was 
a  good  schooling  for  future  usefulness.  I  learned 
in  a  practical  way  the  relation  that  the  evangelist 
should  hold  towards  local  pastors.  After  the  en- 
thusiasm and  excitement  of  a  big  meeting  is 
over,  and  the  visiting  minister  has  gone,  then  the 
responsibility  and  hard  labor  of  holding  in  line 
and  adjusting  the  new  converts  to  the  old  congre- 
gation begins.  It  is  no  child's  play  properly  to 
feed  and  care  for  a  large  flock  of  sheep  and  a 
host  of  tender,  new-bom  lambs.  I  am  sure  I  am 
a  better  evangelist  as  a  result  of  my  experience 
doing  pastoral  work. 

To  be  successful,  a  pastor  must  live  on  a  social 
plane  with  his  congregation.  He  must  mingle  much 
with  the  brethren  and  sisters.  Often,  if  they  failed 
to  invite  me,  I  invited  myself  to  their  homes  for 


114  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


a  visit  or  a  meal.  There  were  times  when  all  the 
congregation  came  to  our  house  bringing  baskets 
of  good  things,  and  after  a  ^4ove  feast"  together, 
we  would  sing  and  pray,  and  when  they  departed 
they  usually  left  enough  food  to  last  us  for  days. 
These  occasions  unite  the  pastor  and  his  flock  to- 
gether in  close  bonds  of  friendship  and  love. 

There  are  many  ways  in  which  a  pastor  can 
win  his  community  to  Christ.  In  one  of  our  re- 
vivals a  near  neighbor  was  converted.  His  wife 
became  enraged  and  very  bitter  towards  us  as  a  re- 
sult. She  said  that  we  had  spoiled  all  her  plea- 
sure. Her  husband  would  not  take  her  to  the 
show,  theater,  or  other  places  of  worldly  entertain- 
ment. Instead,  he  took  great  interest  in  church 
work.  When  we  would  pass  in  front  of  her  house, 
she  would  refuse  to  speak,  but  would  look  daggers 
at  us.  I  said  to  my  wife,  **We  must  win  that 
woman  to  Christ."  We  made  up  a  large  bouquet 
of  beautiful  flowers  and  sent  them  to  her  with 
one  of  our  girls,  who  was  instructed  to  tell  her, 
'^Here  is  a  little  token  of  love  from  Papa  and 
Mama  to  you."  The  next  time  w(e  passed  her 
house  she  came  out  and  greeted  us  with  a  smile, 
and  was  very  friendly  ever  after.  In  the  very 
next  meeting  she  came  out  and  was  converted. 

In  the  same  town  lived  a  wicked  man  who 
hated  and  cursed  the  brethren.  He  refused  to 
speak  to  me  when  I  met  him  on  the  street.  We 
decided  to  win  him  also.    We  began  by  sending 


REMINISCENCES 


115 


gifts  through  our  children.  Finally  he  became 
friendly.  Before  we  left  the  place  he  died;  but 
before  he  passed  away  he  sent  for  my  wife  and  me 
to  pray  for  him  that  he  might  be  saved.  It  pays 
to  *^live  peaceably  with  all  men." 

In  1914  we  moved  to  Akron,  Ind.  This  is  the 
community  where  the  present-reformation  work 
started.  About  five  miles  north  of  Akron  the 
church-house  stands  where  Bro.  D.  S.  Warner  de- 
clared his  freedom  from  all  sectarian  institutions. 
One  brother— David  lininger— who  at  that  time 
stepped  out  with  Brother  Warner  still  lives.  There 
were  old  congregations  with  church-houses  at  Olive 
Bethel  and  Lake  Bethel,  and  also  a  monthly  meet- 
ing held  at  Beaver  Dam,  where  the  brethren  own- 
ed a  brick  church-building.  During  our  stay  at 
Akron  a  large,  new  church-building  was  erected  in 
the  town  and  another  at  Athens,  and  the  founda- 
tions were  laid  for  a  church  at  Rochester,  which 
has  since  been  completed.  I  did  pastoral  work 
here  about  four  years  altogether,  the  rest  of  my 
time  being  spent  in  the  general  field.  In  all  these 
places  good-sized  congregations  were  established. 

MY  PUBLIC  DISCUSSIONS 

Jesus  Christ  held  a  number  of  discussions  with 
the  Jewish  leaders,  and  more  than  once  silenced 
his  opposers.  One  of  these  is  recorded  in  detail 
in  the  Gospel  by  John  (8:12-59).  Paul  also  held 
disputes  with  different  leaders  of  religious  thought, 


116 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


both  among  the  Jews  and  Pagans  (see  Acts  17 : 
16-18;  19:8-10).  Many  lengthy  discussions  took 
place  between  the  primitive  leaders  of  Christianity 
and  their  opposers.  Among  these  is  a  very  in- 
teresting one  between  Justin  Martyr  and  Trypho, 
a  Jew.  However,  it  is  certain  that  in  ancient  times 
the  method  of  dispute  was  very  different  from 
modern  public  debate. 

Personally,  I  question  the  wisdom  of  Christian 
ministers  making  it  a  business  publicly  to  discuss 
points  of  theological  difference.  In  the  past,  when 
certain  religious  cults  emphasized  their  distinctive 
doctrines,  public  debates  were  common.  A  Dis- 
ciple minister  once  told  me  that  as  soon  as  his 
converts  were  immersed  they  came  out  of  the 
water  ready  for  dispute.''  But  this  spirit  of 
controversy  is  rapidly  disappearing,  and  God- 
fearing men  everywhere  are  rising  above  their 
petty  differences  and  seeking  a  common  ground 
where  all  can  work  together  in  evangelizing  the 
world.    This  is  the  better  spirit. 

My  first  discussion  was  held  at  Hawthorn,  Pa. 
We  had  pitched  our  tents  and  tabernacles  for  a 
camp-meeting.  The  day  before  the  meeting  open- 
ed, hundreds  of  large  circulars  were  broadcasted 
advertising  '^A  Lecture  on  Saintism,''  by  Rev. 
Hershberger,  to  be  given  that  night  in  the  Evan- 
gelical church.  A  number  of  us  went  and  listened 
to  a  jumble  of  misrepresentations  of  our  work. 
Our  teachings  were  also  attacked.    And  then  the 


REMINISCENCES 


117 


minister  publicly  challenged  any  of  us  to  dare  to 
defend  our  position.  In  this  case  I  felt  clear  to 
stand  up  and  vindicate  our  cause,  which  I  did, 
and  our  opponent  was  confounded  before  all  the 
people. 

At  Rootville,  Pa.,  the  Second  Adventists  were 
holding  a  conference.  I  lived  at  that  time  but  a 
short  distance  from  their  church,  and  we  had  a 
strong  congregation  in  the  community.  During 
the  conference,  Eld.  G.  W.  Stephens,  of  New 
York,  came  to  my  home  and  arranged  for  a  dis- 
cussion which  lasted  thirteen  nights,  covering  such 
subjects  as  ^^The  Kingdom  of  G^od  and  the 
Millennium,"  ^^Immortality,''  and  Eternal  Pun- 
ishment. ' '  This  was  attended  by  hundreds  of  people, 
and  the  result  was  good  for  the  cause  that  we 
represent. 

Next  I  met  Rev.  J.  E.  Ebeling,  of  the  Reorgan- 
ized Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints, 
in  a  public  controversy  lasting  eleven  days  and 
nights,  at  Blystone,  Pa.  This  was  published  in 
book  form. 

Ii:^  1907  Rev.  Mahoney,  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  challenged  me  to  discuss  the  church  ques- 
tion, and  affirmed  the  following  proposition  for 
two  nights  at  Pardo,  Pa.  ^'The  Roman  Catholic 
Church  is  the  only  true  church  of  Christ  upon 
earth.''  This  drew  a  very  large  attendance, 
and  the  majority  were  Catholics.  The  effect  was 
wonderful.    Even  the  priest  grasped  my  hand  at 


118 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


the  close  and  said,  '^Mr.  Riggle,  what  can  I  do? 
If  your  church  is  the  right  one  and  mine  the 
apostate  church,  tell  me  what  to  do.  I  received 
my  teaching  from  my  mother,  and  always  sup- 
posed it  was  right." 

In  the  same  year  I  held  a  very  notable  contro- 
versy with  Elder  J.  W.  Watt,  of  the  Seventh-day 
Adventist  faith,  at  Oakland,  Pa.  This  continued 
fourteen  days  and  nights,  and  was  attended  by 
many  ministers  of  both  sides.  The  following  year 
I  moved  to  Oakland  and  took  charge  of  the  work 
of  the  church  of  God.  In  a  short  time  the  Advent- 
ist church  was  sold  and  used  for  a  restaurant, 
while  there  is  today  a  flourishing  congregation 
there  representing  the  church  of  God. 

In  the  fall  of  1914,  while  holding  a  revival  at 
North  Webster,  Ind.,  I  was  approached  by  the 
pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  (Dunfeards) 
at  that  place,  asking  for  a  friendly  discussion  in 
a  Christian  spirit  covering  the  points  of  difference 
between  the  two  bodies.  The  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren were  to  secure  a  representative  minister  to 
set  forth  their  doctrines.  Accordingly  they  select- 
ed Eld.  B.  E.  Kjesler,  of  Puxico,  Mo.  The  prop- 
ositions were  as  follows:  (1)  Resolved,  That  the 
Church  of  God,  of  which  I,  H.  M.  Eiggle,  am  a 
member,  is  identical  with  the  New  Testament 
church  in  origin,  name,  doctrine,  and  practise." 
(2)  ''Resolved,  That  the  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
of  which  I,  B.  E.  Kesler,  am  a  member,  is  iden- 


REMINISCENCES 


119 


tical  with  the  New  Testament  church  in  origin, 
name,  doctrine,  and  practise/'  This  debate  con- 
tinued for  twelve  nights,  and  the  average  atten- 
dance was  about  twelve  hundred  at  each  service. 
This  discussion  was  published,  and  three  thousand 
copies  were  sold  in  one  year. 

While  I  believe  that,  in  the  main,  good  was 
accomplished  in  these  various  public  discussions, 
I  have  fully  decided  that  the  better  way  is  not 
to  engage  in  public  discussion  at  all,  but  to  set 
forth  the  truth  clearly  from  the  pulpit.  It  will 
stand  for  itself.  There  is  but  one  side  to  truth, 
and  it  never  contradicts  itself. 


FEELING  UTTER  DEPENDENCE  UPON  GOD 

We  never  get  so  old  and  so  ripe  in  experience 
but  what  we  need  constantly  to  watch  and  pray. 
We  can  not  depend  upon  past  manifestations  of 
God's  power,  for  they  will  not  answer  today's 
need.  I  am  sure  that  one  reason  for  Paul's  great 
success  in  the  ministry  lay  in  his  feeling  his  utter 
helplessness  of  himself  and  entire  dependence  upon 
God.  Hear  him:  ^'I  was  with  you  in  weakness, 
and  in  fear,  and  in  much  trembling.  And  my 
speech  and  my  preaching  was  not  with  enticing 
words  of  man's  wisdom,  but  in  demonstration  of 
the  Spirit  and  of  power"  (1  Cor.  2:3,  4).  This 
must  be  the  inward  feeling  of  every  true  man 
of  God  if  he  expects  to  succeed.  Nothing  is  more 
dangerous  than  ^'leaning  upon  our  own  under- 


120 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


standing,"  and  becoming  self -centered  and  self- 
dependent. 

I  have  never  reached  the  place  where  I  do  not 
have  to  lean  heavily  upon  the  Lord.  Being  very 
limited  in  natural  talents,  I  have  been  always  con- 
scious that  my  ''sufficiency  is  of  God."  To  this 
day  it  is  a  task  for  me  to  preach  before  my 
brethren  in  the  larger  assembly-meetings.  Some- 
times I  wrestle  with  God  all  night  before  I  attempt 
to  fill  the  pulpit,  and  also  have  my  wife  get  under 
the  burden  of  prayer  for  me.  It  is  very  conmion 
for  me  to  take  the  pulpit  trembling.  My  exper- 
ience has  been  that  the  more  I  feel  this  way  the 
greater  power  accompanies  the  message. 

A  young  minister  entered  the  pulpit  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  bishop,  expecting  to  make  a  grand  im- 
pression. He  had  made  great  preparations  for 
the  occasion,  and  was  confident  of  success.  But 
he  failed.  He  finally  became  embarrassed  and 
forgot  much  that  he  intended  to  say.  He  came  down 
from  the  pulpit  abashed.  The  bishop  then  address- 
ed him  thus,  "Had  you  entered  the  pulpit  in  the 
spirit  in  which  you  left  it,  you  would  have  succeed- 
ed better." 


DEFINITE  ANSWERS  TO  PRAYER 

God  answers  prayer  today  the  same  as  in  olden 
times.  His  attitude  towards  his  children  has 
never  changed.  Multitudes  say  prayer  and  make 
prayers,  and  never  expect  them  answered.  These 


REMINISCENCES 


121 


people  are  like  a  certain  preacher  at  Martinsburg, 
Pa.,  who  went  to  a  home  to  raise  a  dead  woman  to 
life.  He  laid  his  hands  upon  the  corpse,  and  as 
he  prayed  he  imagined  the  woman  began  to  breathe. 
He  became  alfrighted  and  he  ran  away,  crying, 
^^My  Lord,  what  if  this  woman  should  come  to 
life!''  This  is  a  true  occurrence  related  to  me 
by  a  reliable  woman  who  was  present. 

With  the  exception  of  about  three  years  spent 
in  missionary  work  on  foreign  fields,  I  have  never 
received  any  stated  amount  for  my  labors  either 
as  pastor  or  evangelist.  I  am  not  suggesting  what 
others  shall  do,  nor  criticizing  their  methods.  It 
is  simply  a  statement  of  a  rule  of  life  I  have 
chosen  for  myself.  Time  and  again  certain 
churches  have  written  me  offering  a  large  stated 
amount  if  I  would  hold  them  a  meeting,  and  in 
every  case  I  have  declined,  and  accepted  calls 
where  no  definite  promise  was  made.  Personally, 
I  prefer  to  trust  God  the  remainder  of  my  life; 
for  he  has  never  failed  us  in  the  past.  Nor  am 
I  reflecting  upon  those  who  accept  stated  amounts 
as  not  trusting  the  Lord  also.  It  is  only  our 
liberty  to  choose  our  own  course  in  life. 

From  the  beginning,  as  a  family,  we  have  asked 
the  Lord  for  the  things  we  eat  and  wear.  Oh, 
how  graciously  he  has  supplied  all  our  needs  I 
What  gratefulness  it  creates  in  our  hearts  when 
God  sends  us  a  definite  answer  to  our  earnest 
petitions!    It  increases  our  love  and  devotion  to 


122  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


him.  "Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul,  and  forget  not 
al]  his  benefits,'' 

Once  we  needed  ten  dollars  to  supply  a  certain 
want.  My  wife  and  I  humbly  knelt  around  our 
family  altar  in  fervent  prayer  and  asked  God  to 
supply  the  need.  In  a  few  days  we  received  a 
letter  from  a  man  at  Kansas,  Ohio.  When  we 
opened  it  we  read,  "Brother  Riggle,  the  Lord 
woke  me  up  at  three  o'clock  this  morning  and  im- 
pressed me  to  send  you  ten  dollars.  You  will 
find  this  amount  enclosed/'  At  another  time  we 
asked  for  fifteen  dollars  to  furnish  a  certain  need. 
Three  members  of  one  family  each  sent  us  five 
dollars  through  the  mail,  and  later,  upon  inquiry, 
we  learned  that  none  of  them  knew  what  the  others 
had  done. 

A  number  of  years  ago  as  I  was  preparing  to 
go  to  the  Anderson  (Ind.)  Camp-meeting  an  obli- 
gation came  from  an  unexpected  source  amounting 
to  ninety-one  dollars  and  eight  cents.  I  also  was 
in  need  of  a  new  suit  of  clothes.  Naturally,  min- 
isters do  not  expect  financial  aid  at  that  meeting, 
for  most  of  them  bear  their  owto  expenses.  But 
the  obligation  was  to  be  met  soon,  and  I  had  no 
means  to  meet  it.  I  began  to  pray  very  earnestly. 
One  day  as  I  was  walking  towards  the  pavilion 
for  meeting  three  persons  handed  me  fifteen  dol- 
lars. I  thanked  them  and  the  Lord  and  put  this 
aside  towards  a  new  suit.  This  encouraged  me  to 
trust  the  Lord  for  the  remainder. 


REMINISCENCES 


123 


One  night  after  preaching  in  the  large  pavilion, 
1  stepped  outside  to  cool  off,  as  it  was  very  sul- 
try in  the  building.  A  well-dressed  lady  stepped 
up  to  me  and  introduced  herself  as  a  lawyer's  wife, 
from  Texas.  She  had  come  to  this  meeting  to  in- 
vestigate our  preaching.  After  a  few  moments' 
conversation,  she  said,  ^'I  feel  strangely  impress- 
ed to  give  you  something,"  and  she  handed  me 
a  handkerchief.  I  thanked  her  kindly,  and  thought 
no  more  of  the  matter  until  I  retired  to  my  room. 
Four  of  us  ministers  were  rooming  together.  I 
said,  ^'Brethren,  I  received  a  gift  tonight,"  and 
then  drew  the  handkerchief  from  my  pocket.  But 
I  soon  discovered  something  inside  of  it.  When 
1  unwrapped  it,  there  was  a  lady's  brooch  and  a 
pair  of  bracelets.  The  brethren  had  a  good  laugh 
and  twitted  me  considerably  over  the  strange  gift 
to  a  preacher. 

I  asked  Bro.  Frank  Shaw,  who  was  one  of  the 
four,  whether  he  supposed  I  could  dispose  of 
this  jewelry.  I  had  no  idea  of  its  value.  He 
volunteered  to  sell  it  to  some  jewelrj^-man.  The 
meeting  closed,  and  I  went  to  Chicago  to  hold  a 
revival.  The  Lord  provided  me  my  railroad  fare, 
sufficient  means  for  a  suit  of  clothes,  and  enough 
to  leave  exactly  $1.08  in  my  pocket  when  I  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Brother  Shaw  stating  he  had 
sold  the  jewelry  for  ninety  dollars.  This  with 
what  I  had  in  my  pocket  was  the  precise  amount 
T  owed,  even  to  the  penny.   When  I  read  that  letter 


124  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


the  hot  tears  flowed  down  my  face.  I  wept  for 
joy.  Oh,  how  my  heart  melted  in  thankfulness  to 
God  for  his  goodness  to  me! 

In  one  of  our  evangelistic^tours  we  were  booked 
to  hold  a  meeting  about  ten  miles  from  Punxsu- 
tawney,  Pa.  I  was  coming  from  the  north,  by 
way  of  Oil  City,  while  my  wife  and  the  other 
workers  were  coming  from  the  south.  We  had 
made  arrangements  all  to  arrive  in  Punxsutawney 
on  a  certain  day,  where  the  folk  were  to  meet  us, 
and  convey  us  to  the  place  of  meeting.  I  left 
Oil  City  on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  and  expect- 
ed to  make  connection  at  Mosgrove  for  Punxsu- 
tawney via  the  Pittsburgh,  Rochester,  and  Buffalo 
Railroad.  Our  train,  however,  was  late,  and  when 
I  arrived  at  Mosgrove  the  train  on  the  other  road 
was  gone.  This  was  a  great  disappointment,  and 
would  spoil  all  our  arrangements  to  reach  the  place 
of  meeting.  I  inquired  at  the  station  and  was  in- 
formed that  a  fast-line  train  of  pullman-cars  pass- 
ed through  at  11  A.  M.,  but  did  not  stop  at  Mos- 
grove. 

I  meditated  a  few  minutes,  then  decided  on  a 
plan  to  stop  the  train.  I  carried  my  suitcases 
over  the  railroad-bridge  that  spans  the  Allegheny 
River.  Here  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  bridge 
from  the  station  was  a  large  open  space  and  an 
ideal  place  to  pray.  I  set  my  baggage  down  and 
began  to  walk  back  and  forth  along  the  railroad- 
track  calling  earnestly  upon  the  Lord.    I  humbled 


REMINISCENCES 


125 


my  heart  before  him,  and  solemnly  promised  many 
things  if  he  would  be  kind  enough  to  stop  that 
train  and  let  me  on  board.  About  half  past  ten 
I  prayed  through  and  gained  the  victory  by  faith. 
I  wept  and  praised  God  aloud  because  I  felt  as- 
sured that  the  Lord  would  grant  my  request.  About 
eleven  o'clock  I  could  hear  the  rumbling  of  the 
fast-approaching  train.  Then  for  a  few  seconds  a 
battle  raged.  Satan  appeared  on  the  scene  and 
whispered,  ' '  What  a  fool  you  are !  That  train 
never  stops  at  Mosgrove,  and  if  it  did  it  would 
stop  at  the  station  on  the  other  side  of  the  river, 
not  out  here  in  this  field.  It  will  pass  you  like 
a  whirlwind. For  a  moment  it  seemed  all  hope 
was  gone.  Had  I  admitted  a  doubt,  all  would  have 
been  lost.  In  the  name  of  Christ  I  rebuked  the 
devil,  and  laid  faith  in  the  immutable  promises 
of  God  square  across  that  railroad-track.  A  thrill 
of  victory  swept  through  my  soul.  The  train  stop- 
joed  with  the  rear  car  not  more  than  thirty  feet  from 
where  I  stood.  I  grasped  my  baggage  and  ran 
alongside  the  cars  waving  my  hand.  A  man  at 
one  of  the  windows  saw  me  and  called  the  brake- 
man's  attention.  Be  came  and  opened  the  vesti- 
bule door  saying,  **What  do  you  want?"  I  an- 
swered, want  on  this  train.''  ^^Get  on,"  he 
said,  and  I  did.  As  soon  as  I  stepped  on  board, 
the  train  began  to  move.  I  sat  down  by  a  win- 
dow and  wept  like  a  child.  Hjow  precious  the 
Lord  was  to  me!    How  good  to  stop  that  train! 


126 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Allien  I  reached  Punxsutawney,  my  wife  aad  the 
other  workers  were  there  Waiting,  and  we  reached 
our  destination  for  meeting  that  night.  These  are 
but  a  few  instances  along  the  way,  and  hardly 
compare  with  the  experience  of  many  of  my 
brethren,  but  they  are  worth  much  to  me. 


EASTWARD  BOUND 
NINETEEN  WEEKS  ON 
LAND  AND  SEA 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Riggle  and  son  George 


William  Hopwood  and  family   (see  p.  136) 


f 


Left:   Upper— H.  M.  Riggle  at 
grave  of  Wiiliam  Ebel 
(see  p.  150) 

Lower — Where    Philip  baptized 
the   eunuch    (see   p.  190) 


Top:  Mr  and  Mrs.  Riggle  and  son 
George   near   summit   of   the  Alps 
(see  p.  155) 

Mr.   and  Mrs.   Riggle  and  George 
at   Leaning   Tower   of  Pisa 
(see  p.  159) 


EASTWARD  BOUND;  NINETEEN  WEEKS  ON 
LAND  AND  SEA 

CALLED  TO  FOREIGN  FIELDS 

Jesus  said,  '^The  field  is  the  world,''  Not  a  part 
of  it;  the  Great  Commission  says,  ^'Go  ye  into  all 
the  world."  The  gospel  message  is  not  merely 
to  one  nation;  but  teach  all  nations"  is  the  great 
command.  The  kingdom  of  Christ  must  be  es- 
tablished ^' under  the  whole  heaven,"  and  Chris- 
tianity is  destined  to  ^^fiU  the  whole  earth."  So 
any  place  on  earth  is  included  in  the  scope  of  our 
field  of  activities. 

More  than  twenty  years  ago  I  felt  impressed  by 
the  Spirit  that  some  day  the  Lord  wbuld  send  us 
abroad.  I  often  expressed  this  feeling  to  Bro. 
J.  Grant  Anderson,  who  traveled  with  me  for  a 
number  of  years.  We  would  sit  for  hours  and  con- 
verse along  this  line.  I  will  not  here  attempt  to 
tell  the  many  ways  in  which  the  Lord  made  known 
his  will  in  this  matter. 

I  once  had  a  vision,  or  a  dream,  of  the  very  field 
to  which  I  was  called,  and  saw  the  various  places 
over  Which  I  since  have  traveled  ajid  in  which  I 
have  labored.  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  I  saw 
these  places  in  my  vision  exactly  as  I  saw  them 
later  with  my  actual  eyes.  I  consecrated  in  the 
beginning  to  go  anywhere  the  Lord  directed,  and 
when  the  test  came,  I  was  perfectly  willing  to  obey. 

129 


130 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


A  DEFINITE  CALL  TO  SYRIA  AND  THE  HOLY  LAND 

In  the  early  part  of  June,  1920,  while  attend- 
ing the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Missionary  Board, 
at  Anderson,  Ind.,  I  was  suddenly  called  home  to 
Akron  to  preach  the  funeral  sermon  of  one  of 
our  congregation— Frank  Bradway.  I  took  the 
latest  issue  of  the  Trumpet  with  me,  and  while 
on  the  train  I  read  an  article  from  Bros.  F.  G. 
Smith  and  E.  A.  Reardon,  who  had  just  returned 
from  a  world  tour  in  behalf  of  missions.  In  this 
article  they  set  forth  the  urgent  need  of  some  one 
going  to  Syria  at  once. 

While  I  was  reading  this  article,  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  came  upon  me,  and  I  began  to  tremble 
and  weep.  As  I  was  on  a  crowded  train,  the 
people  no  doubt  looked  on  ^ith  wonderment.  I 
at  once  knew  that  the  Lord  had  cliosen  me  to  go. 
The  Spirit  whispered  just  as  distinctly  as  if  I 
heard  his  audible  voice,  ^'I  called  you  years  ago 
to  this  land,  now  I  send  you.^'  I  at  once  decided 
to  obey,  and  a  sweet  consciousness  of  God^s  ap- 
proval came  into  my  soul. 

When  I  arrived  in  Akron,  I  said  to  my  wife, 
^'We  are  going  to  Syria  and  Palestine.^'  I  told 
her  my  experience  along  the  way,  and  she  con- 
sented to  accompany  me  on  my  leadings.  She 
never  felt  a  definite  call,  but  simply  acted  in  the 
matter  because  I  clearly  felt  the  summons  from 
the  Lord.  Bro.  Pearl  Turner,  of  Logansport,  as- 
sisted in  the  funeral  service,  and  I  opened  my 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


heart  to  him.  He  said  he  believed  it  was  of  the 
liOrd. 

As  soon  as  I  returned  to  Anderson,  I  communi- 
cated my  conviction  to  the  Mission  Board,  and  they 
unanimously  approved  of  our  going.  In  order  that 
the  Board  remain  full  during  my  absence,  I  handed 
in  my  resignation,  and  began  preparation  for  our 
long  journey  to  the  Near  East. 

It  was  a  blow  to  the  home  congregation  around 
Akron;  and  the  problem  of  securing  some  cap- 
able man  to  take  the  general  superintendency  of 
the  work  in  that  field  was  no  small  one.  But 
after  a  few  months  the  Lord  made  selection  of 
Bro.  A.  T.  Kowe,  who  was  fully  qualified  to  take 
over  the  work,  and  successfully  continue  and  en- 
large it. 

I  spent  the  summer  in  the  general  camp-meet- 
ing wiork.  My  son  George  and  I  attended  the 
following  meetings:  Kansas  City,  Mo.;  Oklahoma; 
Wichita  and  Almena,  Kans.  My  wife  remained 
at  home  preparing  for  our  journey.  We  found  it 
a  big  problem  to  transfer  our  work,  and  to  get 
everything  in  proper  order;  but  the  Lord  helped, 
and  by  December  1  all  was  in  readiness  for  the 
departure. 


THE  FAREWELL  SERVICE 

On  December  4  my  wife  and  I  went  to  Anderson 
and  met  Bro.  F.  G.  Smith,  E.  A.  Eeardon,  and 
J,  W.  Phelps  in  final  conference  regarding  the 


132 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


details  of  our  trip.  Brother  Phelps,  Secretary  of 
the  Missionary  Board,  delivered  to  us  our  tickets 
for  Southampton,  England,  from  New  York.  We 
held  a  number  of  farewell-meetings  in  the  homes 
of  different  brethren  and  sisters,  and  left  the  same 
night  for  our  home  at  Akron,  Ind.  The  details 
that  followed  are  best  expressed  in  our  Farewell 
Message  published  in  the  Gospel  Trumpet. 

Our  Farewell  Message 

2132  Grand  Ave.,  New  York,  December  14. 
At  last,  after  our  months  of  anxiety  and  ex- 
tensive preparations,  the  day  of  our  sailing  for 
Syria  has  arrived.  Our  boat,  the  SS.  Aquitania, 
will  leave  dock  at  high  noon.  A  sense  of  sadness 
comes  over  us  as  the  hour  of  our  departure  from 
the  shores  of  our  beloved  America  draws  nigh. 
But  we  are  very  conscious  of  God's  sweet  ap- 
proval and  the  clear  direction  of  his  Spirit,  and 
this  makes  the  sacrifice  easier. 

AAHiile  in  Pennsylvania  in  November  we  visited 
our  old  homes,  the  scenes  of  our  childhood  and 
early  life,  where  we  used  to  roam  over  the  hills 
and  vales.  As  memoiy  went  back  over  the  lapse 
of  many  years  oh,  how  I  remembered  Mother's 
prayers  and  her  dying  charge,  ''Tell  my  boy  to 
be  true  to  God  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.''!  As 
I  walked  over  the  fields  where  I  had  plowed  the 
soil  and  hai-^^ested  the  grain  when  but  a  boy,  I 
renewed  my  covenant  with  God  to  be  a  better  man. 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


133 


more  prayerful,  more  humble,  more  spiritual,  and 
more  devoted. 

On  Sunday,  December  5,  in  the  morning  service, 
my  wife  preached  her  farewell  sermon  at  Akron, 
Ind.  I  preached  in  the  evening  service.  God  gave 
us  a  very  precious  time,  and  all  hearts  were  melted. 
We  have  labored  there  for  the  past  six  and  one 
half  years.  On  Monday  night,  December  6,  the 
congregations  around  Akron,  together  with  our 
friends  and  neighbors,  gave  us  a  farewell  service. 
The  prepared  program  was  the  finest  and  most 
touching  of  any  to  which  we  ever  listened.  God 
bless  the  dear  saints  at  Akron,  Ind.  We  have 
them  in  our  hearts.  God  bless  their  overseers. 
Brother  and  Sister  Rowe,  with  all  the  local  min- 
isters. .  .  !.,;.-•!. J  #t 

At  the  close  of  this  service  we  repaired  to  my 
son  Arlo^s  home,  and  here  the  members  of  our 
family  spent  three  hours  together  in  communion 
and  prayer.  We  then  went  to  Rochester,  Ind., 
where  we  took  the  train  for  New  York.  The 
hardest  ordeal  we  have  ever  been  called  to  pass 
through  was  at  3  A.  M.,  Tuesday  morning,  De- 
cember 7,  when  our  train  pulled  out  of  the  depot 
and  our  own  dear  family  on  the  platform  waved 
us  their  last  farewell  with  tears  streaming  down 
all  faces.  We  are  happy  to  say,  all  our  children 
are  saved,  and  we  ask  you  please  to  pray  for 
them. 

On  Sunday,  December  12,  v^e  held  three  precious 


134 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


services,  one  at  the  Home  at  11  A.  M.,  and  one 
at  14th  St.  at  3  P.  M.  and  one  in  Jersey  City  at 
night.  Sister  Alice  Sprague  is  holding  a  revival 
in  Jersey  City.  Bro.  John  Turner  and  his  wife 
are  here,  and  also  Brother  Blaney  came  up  from 
Philadelphia  to  wave  us  a  last  farewell.  Brother 
and  Sister  Blewitt  have  shown  us  every  courtesy 
and  kindness.    God  bless  them. 

During  the  last  few  days  a  host  of  farewell- 
messages  have  come  through  the  mail.  As  we 
can  not  answer  all  of  them  personally,  we  here 
take  the  opportunity  to  thank  you  all  for  your 
kind  words  of  encouragement  and  the  promise  of 
your  prayers. 

After  almost  thirty  years  of  ministerial  activity 
in  America  we  sail  for  our  foreign  field.  We  will 
not  promise  any  great  things.  Our  motto  will  be, 
*'A  clean  work  rather  than  a  big  one.*'  We  ex- 
pect to  do  thorough,  straight  work  for  God.  We 
hope  to  reach  Syria  from  between  the  middle  to 
the  last  of  April.  We  shall  keep  the  church  in- 
formed as  to  our  work,  and  hope  to  contribute 
regularly  to  the  columns  of  the  Trumpet. 

Please  write  us,  and,  above  all,  remember  us 
earnestly  at  the  throne  of  grace.  And  now,  to  all 
the  dear  saints  in  America,  we  say  farewell.  God 
bless  you.    Yours  for  souls  in  every  land, 

H.  M.,  Minnie  M.,  and  George  Riggle. 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


135 


ON  THE  BROAD  ATLANTIC 

On  December  14,  at  10  A.  M.,  we  boarded  the  SS. 
Aquitania,  at  Pier  54,  New  York.  J.  C.  Blewitt, 
J.  O.  Blaney,  John  C.  Turner  and  his  wife,  Alice 
Sprague,  and  Mother  Stephens  accompanied  us  on 
board,  where  we  held  a  farewell  service  of  songs 
and  prayer.  Sister  Josephine  McCrie  on  her  way 
to  India,  accompanied  us. 

As  the  great  steamer  left  the  docks,  the  brethren 
and  the  sisters  waved  handkerchiefs  until  we  were 
out  of  sight.  At  2  P.  M.  we  passed  the  Statue  of 
Liberty  and  at  three  o^clock  our  beloved  America 
was  fading  from  view  in  the  distance.  What  feel- 
ings crept  over  us  at  this  moment! 

The  Aquitania— length  901  feet;  width  97  feet; 
eight  passenger  decks;  47,000  tons;  crew  1,000; 
capacity  3,250  passengers— is  one  of  the  fastest 
boats  crossing  the  Atlantic.  It  is  an  English  boat 
belonging  to  the  Cunard  Line.  The  service  is 
very  good,  and  we  enjoyed  the  trip  immensely. 

For  the  first  two  days  the  sea  was  rough,  but 
there  was  sunshine  all  the  time.  The  great,  roll- 
ing waves  and  silvery  spray  dancing  in  the  clear 
sunshine  presented  indescribable  beauty  and  gran- 
deur. For  the  remainder  of  the  trip  the  sea  was 
calm.  None  of  us  lost  a  single  meal  from  sea- 
sickness. George  and  I  had  a  touch  of  it  for  about 
an  hour  the  first  night  out,  but  this  was  all.  How- 
ever, the  majority  of  passengers  did  not  fare  so 


136  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


well.  Many  of  them  never  appeared  in  the  dining- 
room  until  the  day  before  landing. 

In  exactly  six  days  after  leaving  New  York  we 
were  drawing  near  to  the  shores  of  France.  How 
good  the  green  hills  looked  to  us!  Everybody 
crowded  on  deck  to  see  the  land.  Our  ship  was 
soon  anchored  in  the  harbor  of  Cherbourg.  Three 
boats  came  out  and  several  hundred  passengers 
for  France  and  the  East  by  the  way  of  Marseilles 
were  taken  ashore,  with  their  baggage.  Also  nine 
hundred  sacks  of  mail  were  unloaded. 

We  left  the  same  evening  and  crossed  the  Eng- 
lish Channel  for  Southampton,  where  we  arrived 
during  the  night.  The  next  morning,  December 
21,  we  looked  out  upon  English  scenes.  Many 
things  were  strange,  as  two-story  street-cars 
(^ram-cars),  peculiar  heavy  two-wheeled  delivery- 
wagons,  small  boys  wearing  stiff  hats  with  low 
crowns  and  wide  brims,  and  almost  all  young  men 
and  ladies  using  walking  canes.  We  left  the  ship 
at  10:30  A.  M.,  and  were  delighted  to  meet  Bro. 
Wm.  Hopwood,  from  Birkenhead.  Olir  baggage 
passed  the  customs  officer  without  a  single  piece 
being  opened.  We  shipped  our  trunks  by  freight 
to  Syria,  and  then  prepared  to  accompany  Brother 
Hopwood  to  his  home  at  Birkenhead. 


LAUGHABLE  EXPERIENCES  IN  ENGLAND 

During  our  trip  across  the  ocean  I  obtained  some 
English  money,  and  by  the  time  we  landed  I 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


137 


imagined  that  I  could  make  change  as  well  as  any 
one.  I  knew  well  enough  what  five  pence,  three 
pence,  and  two  pence  and  a  half-penny  were,  as 
well  as  all  the  rest  of  English  money.  But  as 
soon  as  I  began  to  ask  the  price  of  things,  as 
stamps  for  example,  I  was  greeted  with  ^'fifpence,'' 
"  threppence, '  ^  ^ '  tuppence-hapenny, ' '  etc.,  and  these 
short-cut  words  were  said  so  rapidly  that  I  did 
not  understand  at  all  what  they  meaut.  I  would 
ask  several  times,  and  the  same  *  ^  threppence^' ' 
*  ^  tuppence-hapenny, ' '  etc.,  would  be  repeated  again 
and  again.  I  handed  out  a  large  piece  of  money 
each  time,  and  soon  I  had  a  pocketful  of  small 
change.  Brother  Hopwood  drilled  us  along  this 
line  so  that  in  a  few  days  we  well  understood  that 
^  ^  threppence ' '  meant  three  pence,  and  ^Huppence- 
hapenny''  meant  two  pence  and  a  half -penny. 

When  we  left  New  York,  we  carried  with  us 
barely  enough  money  to  get  to  Southampton  safe- 
ly. Both  Sister  McCrie  and  I  took  checks  and 
bank-drafts  on  the  National  Uaiion  Bank  of  Lon- 
don Limited,  which  institution  has  a  branch  at 
Southampton.  We  expected,  upon  arrival,  to  get 
these  cashed  at  once.  We  were  keenly  disappoint- 
ed, when  we  went  to  the  branch  bank  at  Southamp- 
ton, to  be  informed  that  our  papers  would  be 
honored  only  at  the  main  bank  in  London.  We  ex- 
pected to  go  directly  north  to  Liverpool  and  Birken- 
head, and  to  go  around  by  London  was  far  out  of 
the  way  and  much  more  expensive. 


138  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


We  quickly  transferred  to  the  London  and  Great 
AVestern  Railway-station,  and  on  inquiring  found 
that  I  did  not  have  enough  cash  to  purchase  our 
tickets  to  London.  As  the  train  was  about  due 
to  leave,  we  had  an  exciting  time  getting  enough 
money  together  to  obtain  our  tickets.  By  each 
one  of  the  party,  including  Brother  Hopwood, 
emptying  his  pockets,  we  were  able  to  reach  Lon- 
don. We  arrived  at  3  P.  M.  Leaving  Brother 
Hopwood,  my  wife,  and  George  at  the  station  with 
our  luggage.  Sister  McCrie  and  I  secured  a  taxi 
after  some  difficulty,  and  started  on  a  fast  drive 
for  the  bank.  It  was  a  long  distance,  and  we  never 
reached  the  place  till  two  minutes  past  four  o^clock, 
and  found  the  building  closed. 

After  some  effort,  we  were  admitted  through  a 
side  door.  This  was  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
elaborate  banking-houses  I  have  ever  entered.  We 
stepped  up  to  one  of  the  windows  and  presented 
our  papers.  The  cashier  looked  at  us  in  sur- 
prize, and  said,  Don't  you  know  that  this  in- 
stitution closes  each  day  at  3  P.  M.T'  We  told 
him  our  story,  that  we  had  just  arrived  from 
New  York  and  the  branch  house  at  Southampton 
instructed  us  to  come  direct  to  here.  We  told 
him  our  circumstances,  that  we  were  without 
njoney  to  pay  our  fare  to  Liverpool,  and  had  none 
to  pay  a  hotel  bill  in  London.  He  expressed  him- 
self as  sorry  for  us,  but  said,  can  do  nothing 
for  you  until  9  A.  M.  tomorrow.'* 


EASTWAED  BOUND 


189 


1  whispered  to  Sister  McCrie  to  pray  earnestly 
while  I  importuned.  I  said  to  the  banker,  ^*You 
see  we  are  in  a  strait.  We  have  the  drafts  on  your 
bank.  We  miist  have  the  money.  You  know  there 
are  exceptions  to  all  rules,  and  so  we  beg  you  to 
make  an  exception  in  our  case  please. He  re- 
plied, **We  don't  do  business  in  that  way.  Our 
rules  are  fixed.  Come  in  tomorrow."  Just  then 
1  remembered  hearing  Bro.  E.  E.  By  rum  tell  how 
he  and  his  son  went  through  the  National  Capitol 
at  Washington  after  closing-hours,  simply  by  per- 
sistent importunity.  I  also  remembered  the 
Canaanite  woman's  importunity,  and  decided  to 
hold  right  on. 

I  continued,  Please  bear  with  us.  We  are  in 
London  without  money.  We  must  reach  Liver- 
pool tonight.  Here  are  our  checks  on  your  bank. 
You  are  the  ones  to  help  us  out,  and  the  only  ones 
to  help  us  out,  and  the  only  ones  who  can." 
Finally  the  banker  opened  a  large  book.  He  said, 
**Why,  the  instructions  have  not  arrived  from 
New  York.  You  beat  them  here.  According  to 
our  rules  we  can  not  pay  you  until  they  arrive. 
Besides,  our  money  is  now  locked  in  the  vaults." 
This  seemed  like  the  final  word.  I  looked  at  Sister 
McGrie  and  her  lips  were  moving  in  silent  prayer. 
That  gave  me  new  courage. 

I  began  a  last  appeal.  **Here  are  the  drafts. 
They  call  for  the  money  from  your  institution. 
Tt  is  the  money  we  must  have.    We  mfust  have  it 


140  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


today.  Please  sir  favor  us  just  this  time,  and  we 
shall  most  highly  appreciate  your  kindness. ' '  This 
touched  him.  He  said,  ^^I  will  have  to  pay  you 
in  one-pound  notes,  as  the  big  money  is  all  in  the 
vaults."  My  soul  said,  ^'Praise  the  Lord."  We 
told  him  we  should  be  thankful  to  receive  it  in 
any  currency.  He  cashed  both  Sister  McCrie's 
and  my  checks  in  full,  and  we  walked  out  of  the 
bank  at  about  half  past  four  with  all  our  money. 

Olir  time  to  catch  a  train  for  Liverpool  was 
very  limited.  We  hurried  our  taxi-driver  back  to 
the  station,  loaded  on  the  suitcases  and  folk,  and 
rushed  to  another  depot.  When  we  arrived  there 
was  just  about  five  minutes  until  the  departure  of 
the  train.  Brother  Hopwood  hurried  to  one  de- 
partment to  send  a  telegram  home,  while  I  ran  to 
the  ticket-window  to  get  our  tickets.  In  my  excite- 
ment I  left  my  satchel  at  this  window.  When  I 
arrived  at  the  train,  my  wife  and  the  others  had 
the  baggage  on  a  truck  ready  to  put  on  the  train. 
But  there  is  no  checking-system  in  England,  and 
everybody  must  see  that  his  baggage  is  put  on  and 
claim  it  when  put  off.  Just  then  I  missed  my 
satchel,  and  it  was  full  of  valuables.  I  ran  to 
the  ticket-window ;  but  the  satchel  was  gone.  By 
the  time  I  reached  the  folk,  the  whistle  blew  and 
the  train  began  slowly  to  move.  We  ordered  a 
porter  to  throw  the  suitcases  into  the  baggage- 
car,  while  we  stepped  on  the  slowly  moving  train. 
The  cars  in  England  are  entered  along  the  side 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


141 


instead  of  at  the  end  as  in  the  States.  Just  as 
we  were  climbing  on  my  wife  saw  a  man  with  the 
satchel,  and  called  my  attention  to  it.  I  jmnped 
off,  ran  over  to  where  he  was,  and,  without  saying 
a  word,  grasped  hold  of  it  and  snatched  it  from 
his  hand.  In  a  moment  I  was  back  on  the  train, 
headed  for  Liverpool. 

We  reached  Liverpool  at  9:50  P.  M.  Here  we 
were  met  by  Bro.  Adam  Allan  and  a  young  Brother 
Goodwin.  From  here  we  went  by  subway  to  Birken- 
head, and  arrived  at  the  home  of  Brother  Hopwood 
and  family  at  eleven  o'clock.  What  a  comfort  to 
sit  down  in  a  quiet  home  after  the  exciting  exper- 
iences of  the  day,  our  first  day  in  a  foreign  land! 

EVANGELISTIC  MEETINGS  IN  THE  BRITISH  ISLES 

After  a  few  days'  rest,  we  began  a  revival  in 
Birkenhead,  which  continued  over  two  Sundays, 
December  25— January  2.  The  meetings  were  held 
in  St.  Andrews  Mission  Church.  Brethren  attended 
from  different  cities  in  England.  The  attendance 
was  good.  There  were  forty-one  consecrations  for 
pardon  and  entire  sanctification.  Bro.  Adam  Allan, 
of  Belfast,  Ireland,  was  with  us,  and  rendered  most 
valuable  service  in  advertising  the  meetings  by 
house-to-house  canvassing.  Bro.  Wm.  Hopwood 
has  the  general  oversight  of  the  work  in  this  city. 

Our  next  meeting  was  held  at  Aberdeen,  Scot- 
land, January  4-9.  Here  we  found  a  very  com- 
mendable work  under  the  care  of  a  young  brother, 


142  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


David  Goodwin.  The  congregation  was  in  a  good 
spiritual  condition,  and  many  were  the  seasons 
of  spiritual  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord  we  had.  I  preached  mostly  along  doctrinal 
lines.  We  were  hospitably  cared  for  in  the  home 
of  Brother  and  Sister  Johanessen.  Mrs.  Johanes- 
sen  is  much  used  of  the  Lord  in  street-meetings, 
where  her  clear  voice  reaches  multitudes  of  peo- 
ple. We  certainly  felt  at  home  in  the  midst  of' 
this  assembly,  and  were  loath  to  say  farewell. 

From  Aberdeen  we  went  to  Carlisle,  England, 
where  we  held  some  precious  services  during 
January  10-14.  We  held  two  meetings  each  day. 
This  was  the  ripest  field  we  found  in  the  British 
Isles.  A  considerable  number  of  ministers— Prim- 
itive Methodist,  Pentecostal,  Holiness,  and  Inde- 
pendant— attended  these  services.  Brother  and 
Sister  Hopwood  came  up  from  Birkenhead  and 
remained  during  the  meeting.  Sister  Clarice 
Baines  lives  here,  and  extensively  advertised  the 
meeting. 

We  left  Carlisle  early  in  the  morning  of  January 
15  and  crossed  the  Channel  to  Lame,  Ireland. 
l^Vom  here  we  took  train  for  Belfast,  where  we 
were  received  and  hospitably  cared  for  by  Bro. 
Adam  Allan  and  family. 

We  held  meetings  in  Belfast  during  January 
16-25.  Brother  Allan  spared  neither  means  nor 
time  to  advertise  this  meeting,  and  every  day  of 
jta  continuance  he  and  his  daughter  Naomi,  can- 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


143 


vassed  the  city  from  house  to  house  inviting  the 
people.  These  personal  calls  had  good  results  in 
bringing  to  the  services  many  well-thinking  people 
seeking  light.  This  was  the  most  fruitful  meeting 
of  all.  The  preaching  was  mostly  doctrinal.  On 
the  morning  of  the  last  Sunday  I  was  invited  to 
preach  in  the  Holiness  Mission,  and  after  the 
pastor  in  charge  heard  a  sermon  on  the  New 
Testament  church,  he  declared  himself  in  favor  of 
the  truth.  In  the  same  evening  I  preached  in  the 
Ulster  Minor  Hall  on  the  millennium. 

A  considerable  number  were  saved,  sanctified, 
and  healed  in  this  meeting.  Birother  Kennedy  was 
pastor  of  the  work.  He  cooperated  with  us  grand- 
ly. God  bless  him.  We  left  Belfast  the  night  of 
the  twenty-fifth  by  boat  across  the  Irish  Sea  to 
Liverpool.  It  was  hard  to  separate  from  the  dear 
saints  in  Ireland,  and  especially  from  Brother 
Allan's  family.  They  are  among  the  very  best 
people  we  have  ever  met. 

On  January  28-31  we  held  meetings  in  London. 
Here  we  found  a  little  band  of  saints,  the  fruits  of 
Bro.  G.  R.  Achor's  and  Bro.  J.  H.  Rupert's  preach- 
ing of  about  twenty-seven  years  ago.  Our  coming  to 
them  proved  a  great  inspiration  and  blessing.  We 
held  services  each  night  and  twice  on  Sunday  at 
25  Dulwich  Road,  E.  Dulwich,  London.  One  old 
lady— an  invalid— was  converted  and  healed. 

We  spent  exactly  six  weeks  in  the  British  Isles. 
The  Lord  crowned  our  labors  with  success  in  every 


144  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


place.  Bro.  Wm.  Hopwood  has  general  superin- 
tendency  of  the  work  as  a  whole.  He  is  now  pub- 
lishing a  British  Gospel  Trumpet  that  is  an  honor 
to  the  cause.  We  found  him  to  be  a  man  of  good 
executive  ability  and  well-balanced  judgment.  He 
showed  us  every  courtesy,  and  helped  us  much  in 
getting  adjusted  to  new  conditions. 


PLACES  OF  INTEREST 

We  not  only  held  meetings  during  our  stay  in 
the  United  Kingdom,  but  were  privileged  to  visit 
many  places  of  note.  While  in  Birkenhead  we 
visited  Briston  Hill.  Here  we  saw  the  quaint  old 
English  thatched-roof  houses,  and  the  Dutch  wind- 
mills. From  the  summit  of  the  hill  we  had  a 
splendid  view  of  the  city,  and  in  the  distance 
could  see  the  hills  of  Wales. 

On  December  30  we  visited  Chester.  It  is  a 
walled  city,  originally  built  by  Romans.  We  walked 
around  the  entire  old  wall,  a  distance  of  two  miles. 
We  were  in  the  tower  where  King  Charles  viewed 
the  defeat  of  his  armies  on  Sept.  24,  1645.  While 
here  we  went  through  Chester  Cathedral,  a  very 
ancient  and  magnificent  structure.  The  country 
between  Birkenhead  and  Chester  is  very  beautiful. 

We  also  visited  about  all  that  was  to  us  worth  see- 
ing in  the  great  city  of  Liverpool.  Our  trip  from 
Birkenhead  to  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  was  full  of  in- 
terest. The  distance  covers  about  four  hundred 
miles  and  we  traveled  all  day.    Our  route  took 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


145 


us  through  some  of  the  highlands  of  Scotland,  and 
these  were  very  picturesque.  The  hills  were  cov- 
ered with  flocks  of  peculiar-looking  sheep,  their 
wool  hanging  to  the  ground,  so  that  you  could  not 
see  their  legs.  On  the  train  everybody  was  very 
friendly,  sharing  their  candies  and  fruits  with  us. 

Aberdeen  is  a  granite  city.  All  houses  are  built 
of  granite,  and  the  streets  are  paved  with  the 
same  material.  This  is  the  city  of  great  fisheries. 
A  visit  to  the  fish-market  in  the  early  morning, 
when  the  boats  arrived,  was  intensely  interesting. 
There  were  acres  and  acres  covered  with  a  great 
variety  of  fish  spread  out  before  us.  We  also 
took  a  long  stroll  down  the  rocky  coast  of  the 
North  Sea.    This  was  majestic  in  beauty. 

Carlisle  is  an  interesting  place.  Here  is  an 
ancient  castle,  the  largest  we  saw  anywhere  in  our 
travels.  Carlisle  was  the  scene  of  many  battles  be- 
tween the  English  and  Scotch  in  the  days  of  their 
conflicts.  This  was  the  home  city  of  ex-President 
Wilson's  parents.  We  visited  the  old  church  where 
the  President's  father  worshiped,  and  where  Presi- 
dent Wilson  visited  during  his  last  trip  to  Eng- 
land. 

In  crossing  the  Irish  Sea,  from  Belfast  to  Liver- 
pool, we  passed  the  large  ship-building  plants 
where  the  Titanic  and  Olympic  were  built.  As 
we  passed  out  of  the  channel,  we  saw  many  large 
vessels,  among  them  the  Baltic. 

During  the  five  days  we  remained  in  London 


146 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


we  visited  Madam  Tussaud's  place,  House  of  Par- 
liament, Tate's  Art  Gallery,  Westminster  Abbey, 
St.  James'  Park,  Buckingham  Palace,  National  Art 
Gallery,  The  Mall,  Trafalgar  Square,  St.  Martin's 
English  Church,  Tower  of  London,  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral,  and  the  British  Museum.  The  most 
interesting  to  us  was  Westminster  Abbey,  a  part 
of  which  has  stood  since  the  tenth  century.  This 
building  is  the  crowning  glory  and  magnificence 
of  England,  the  majestic  tomb  of  many  of  its 
greatest  and  noblest  kings,  queens,  and  statesmen. 
We  visited  these  tombs.  Also  we  were  shown  the 
chair  and  room  where  all  the  kings  for  five  hun- 
dred years  have  been  crowned,  to  include  King 
George. 

In  the  Tower  of  London  the  ^' Crown  Jewel" 
room  was  intensely  interesting.  King  Henry  VI 
was  murdered  here.  We  stood  on  the  spot  where 
King  Henry  VIII  had  his  wife  Anne  Boleyn  ex- 
ecuted. Here  we  saw  the  crowns  of  gold  worn  by 
the  different  kings  and  queens  at  their  coronation. 
One  contains  2,818  diamonds,  297  pearls,  2  sap- 
phires, and  52  rose  diamonds.  Another  crown  was 
filled  with  emeralds,  sapphires,  and  6,170  dia- 
monds. 

In  the  British  Museum  we  were  admitted  and 
saw  one  of  the  oldest  manuscripts  of  the  Bible  in 
the  world,  the  Alexandrian,  also  copies  of  the 
oldest  one,  the  Sinaitic.  Among  the  thousands  of 
valuable  things  we  saw  in  this  museum  were  seven 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


147 


of  the  original  large  pillars  from  the  temple  of 
"Diana  of  the  Ephesians,"  mentioned  in  the  book 
of  Acts,  chap.  19:23-41,  and  dating  from  B.  C.  560. 


TRAVELS  IN  FRANCE 

We  left  London  at  8:20  A.  M.,  February  1,  on 
a  through  train  to  Dover.  Here  we  crossed  the 
English  Channel  to  Calais,  France,  from  which 
place  we  took  train  for  Paris,  arriving  5:20  P.  M. 
of  the  same  day.  Thus  we  came  the  entire  way 
in  daylight,  and  saw  much  of  France.  Some  of 
the  country  is  very  beautiful,  and  a  part  of  it 
sand-dunes.  The  houses  and  methods  of  farming 
are  very  old-fashioned  compared  with  American. 
We  passed  through  a  considerable  section  of  the 
battle-fields  of  the  World  War;  it  was  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Amiens,  a  place  of  historical  record  during 
the  great  German  drive  on  the  w^estem  front.  We 
saw  where  the  soldiers  fell  and  were  buried. 
Simple  crosses  marked  the  graves.  Much  of  the 
country  devastated  during  the  war  has  been  re- 
stored almost  to  normal  conditions,  and  farmers 
were  plowing  the  battle-fields. 

At  Paris,  Thomas  Cook  and  Company  assisted 
us  in  obtaining  reasonable  rates  at  an  English- 
speaking  hotel,  the  Prince  Albert.  We  visited  the 
"Palace  of  Concord,^'  one  of  the  finest  places  in 
Paris.  At  the  tomb  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte  we 
were  reminded  of  the  vanity  and  end  of  human 
greatness.  We  saw  the  "Pantheon  of  the  War,"  a 


148  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


panorama  containing  6,000  pictures  and  paintings 
of  all  the  battle-fields  of  France.  We  went  up 
Eiffel  Tower  (975  feet  liigh),  which  gave  us  a 
splendid  view  over  the  city.  We  visited  the 
Louvre,  the  French  national  museum.  This  is  the 
largest  building  in  France,  and  one  of  the  largest 
in  the  world.  Other  sights  we  saw  were  the  La- 
fayette Monument,  erected  by  the  school-children 
of  America ;  the  statue,  home,  and  tomb  of  Voltaire ; 
Saint  Chapelle,  a  yery  old  church  with  the  finest 
stained  windows  in  the  world  (in  this  church,  they 
told  us,  is  preserved  the  crown  of  thorns  Jesus 
wore  on  Calvary;  of  course  this  talk  is  Catholic 
nonsense) ;  Church  of  St.  Genevive,  where  Napo- 
leon Bonaparte  was  crowned  (Voltaire  once  used 
it  for  a  museum) ;  the  place  where  radium  was 
discovered;  Notre  Dame,  a  great  Catholic  church 
(it  contains  365  pillars  and  1500  statues,  and  dates 
from  1163  A.  D.  Its  organ  contains  500  pipes, 
125  stops,  and  5  key-boards.) ;  the  Hall  of  Justice 
and  the  Law  Courts;  the  Jewel  chapel  of  Paris; 
Victor  Hugo's  house,  the  oldest  in  Paris;  the 
Bastile,  the  prison  where  otfenders  were  guillo- 
tined. Besides  these  things,  we  also  saw  the 
church  ruins,  caused  by  a  shell  from  the  big  Ger- 
man gun  eighty  miles  away,  when  eighty-eight 
people  were  killed.  Altogether  our  stay  in  Paris 
was  most  interesting. 

From  Paris  we  went  direct  to  Basel,  Switzer- 
land, a  distance  of  325  miles.    We  also  took  this 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


149 


trip  in  daytime.  It  gave  us  a  good  view  of  cen- 
tral and  eastern  France.  For  about  one  hundiea 
miles  east  of  Paris  the  country  is  level  like  North 
Dakota,  and  the  farmers  live  far  apart.  Usually 
eight  oxen  were  hitched  to  one  plow,  and  some- 
times all  were  white.  No  one  held  the  plow,  but 
the  plowman  walked  beside  the  oxen.  The  plow 
looked  somewhat  like  our  American  sulky  plows. 
About  all  the  wagons  had  only  two  large,  heavy 
wheels,  in  the  center,  and  the  horses  were  hitched 
in  a  line,  never  double.  It  was  a  common  sight 
to  see  the  women  haul  the  manure,  while  the  men 
scattered  it  in  the  fields. 

In  eastern  France  the  house  and  barn  is  all 
under  one  roof,  smoke  coming  out  of  the  chim- 
neys on  one  end  of  the  buildings  and  barnyards 
and  cattle  found  at  the  other  end.  The  roofs  are 
all  of  red  tile,  and  come  within  six  feet  of  the 
ground  along  the  sides.  The  doors  and  windows 
are  very  low. 

We  saw  some  funeral  processions  along  the  way. 
The  hearse  went  ahead,  and  about  six  mourners 
walked  after.  That  made  up  the  whole  procession. 
At  nearly  every  crossroads  is  a  large  crucifix.  In 
all  small  towns  there  is  but  one  church  edifice, 
and  of  course  that  is  Roman  Catholic. 

As  we  neared  Switzerland  the  country  became 
mountainous  and  picturesque.  We  passed  through 
the  battle-fields  of  Alsace-Lorain  south  of  Nancy 
and  Michael.    Here  we  saw  many  dug-outs,  case- 


150  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


ments,  and  shell-holes,  as  well  as  cemeteries  where 
the  soldiers  were  interred.  Oh,  the  cruelties  oi 
war! 

We  reached  Basel,  Switzerland,  at  7  P.  M., 
February  3.  A  number  of  brethren  and  sisters 
met  us,  and  we  were  warmly  received  into  the  home 
of  Bro.  Joseph  Krebs,  who  is  pastor  of  the  work 
there.  There  were  only  two  brethren  who  could 
understand  English,  and  their  knowledge  of  it 
w'as  very  limited.  Yet  the  church  gathered  in  and 
sang  for  us,  and  we  had  prayer  together,  and  the 
Lord  refreshed  our  spirits  through  this  associa- 
tion. These  dear  people  showed  us  every  kind- 
ness. 

We  spent  one  day  in  Basel  getting  our  pass- 
ports properly  stamped,  and  making  necessary 
preparations  to  enter  Germany.  We  visited  the 
grave  of  Bro.  William  Ebel,  with  whom  we  had 
been  associated  so  long  in  the  ministry. 

Everything  in  Switzerland  looked  strange  to  us. 
Boys  like  George  wore  aprons  on  the  streets,  and 
schoolgirls  all  wore  them  to  school.  We  saw  a 
chimney-sweeper  with  a  silk  hat  on. 

A  WARM  WELCOME  IN  GERMANY 

On  February  5  we  boarded  a  train  for  Essen, 
Germany,  a  distance  of  about  two  hundred  miles. 
Our  route  took  us  along  the  shores  of  the  scenic 
River  Ehine,  and  we  shall  never  forget  the  pic- 
turesqueness  of  our  route  on  this  journey.  The 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


151 


iiiils  on  both  sides  of  the  stream  are  terraced  from 
bottom  to  top,  and  are  covered  with  vineyards. 
On  almost  every  rocky  ledge  was  a  large  castle. 
The  river  was  full  of  long,  narrow  boats  carrying 
freight. 

At  Duesburg,  Bro.  Otto  Doebert  met  us,  and 
here  we  changed  trains  for  Essen,  where  we  ar- 
rived the  same  evening.  How  delighted  Brother 
and  Sister  Doebert  were  to  see  some  one  from 
America !  When  we  arrived  at  the  home  we  found  a 
beautiful  evergreen-wreath  over  our  room  door  with 
the  word  "WELCOME."  The  brethren  gave  us 
a  reception  service  of  song  and  recitation  that  was 
very  touching.  We  shall  always  hold  sacred  in 
our  memories  the  warm  welcome  and  hospitality 
accorded  us  by  the  church  in  Germany.  It  sur- 
passed anything  we  have  ever  witnessed.  These 
tender-hearted  people  showed  us  much  kindness. 

We  held  meetings  over  two  Sundays,  February 
5-13,  three  services  each  day;  ministers'  meetings 
9:30  A.  M.,  and  general  services  at  3  and  7  P.  M. 
This  was  our  first  experience  in  preaching  through 
interpreters.  Brother  Doebert  interpreted  for  me, 
Sister  Doebert  for  my  wife.  After  a  few  services 
we  got  along  very  well. 

A  number  of  ministers  were  present  from  dif- 
ferent parts  of  Germany  and  German  Poland. 
These  ministers  reported  that  everywhere  there 
are  grand  openings  for  the  gospel,  and  that  peo- 
ple are  crying  for  the  very  truth  we  have  to 


152 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


give.  The  people  generally  are  so  tired  of  the 
state  church  that  they  come  to  our  meetings  by 
the  hundreds  to  find  something  better.  During 
our  stay  in  Essen,  the  places  of  meeting  were 
crowded  to  their  capacity,  and  often  many  were 
turned  away;  and  all  this  without  any  advertising. 

TTe  also  went  to  Bochum  and  held  one  service 
for  the  Polish  people.  Brother  Maslowaki  was 
their  pastor.  Here  a  full  house  of  hungry  souls 
greeted  us.  In  these  meetings  more  than  fifty 
people  bowed  at  the  altar  for  salvation.  They 
usually  came  weeping,  and  cried  unto  the  Lord 
for  help  in  the  old-fashioned  way.  The  converts 
generally  came  through  the  ''strait  gate"  shouting 
for  joy. 

Without  doubt  Germany  presents  a  great  harvest- 
field  that  is  fully  ripe  for  the  pure  gospel.  Our 
meetings  are  held  within  one  block  of  the  great 
Krupp  AVorks,  so  famous  during  the  World  War. 
At  the  time  we  were  there  sixty  thousand  people 
were  employed  in  this  plant,  making  various  kinds 
of  machinery  from  typewriters  to  railroad  loco- 
motives. In  Germany  men  go  to  work  dressed  in 
good  suits,  with  collars  and  ties.  At  the  factory 
or  mine  they  change  and  put  on  their  working- 
clothes.  When  their  day's  work  is  ended,  they 
repair  to  the  dressing-rooms,  wash,  and  put  on 
their  good  suits,  and  return  home  well  dressed. 
This  is  in  sharp  contrast  with  the  American 
method. 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


153 


REVIVALS  IN  SWITZERLAND 

On  February  14,  in  company  with  Brother  and 
Sister  Doebert,  we  left  by  train  early  in  the  morn- 
ing for  Switzerland,  arriving  at  Basel  at  7:20 
P.  M.  We  had  a  splendid  view  of  the  country  all 
the  way.  Germany  is  a  beautiful  country,  and  its 
people  are  industrious  and  progressive,  and  the 
most  like  America  in  method,  machinery,  and  in- 
dustry of  any  country  we  have  visited  since  cross- 
ing the  Atlantic. 

We  held  meetings  at  Basel  during  February 
15-18.  There  is  a  good  spiritual  congregation  at 
this  place,  and  they  are  doing  their  best  to  up- 
hold the  precious  truth  that  has  saved  them.  We 
visited  many  places  of  interest  in  and  around 
the  city. 

From  here  we  went  to  Zurich,  a  city  of  over 
two  hundred  thousand  people.  In  the  sixteenth 
century  this  place  was  the  center  of  the  preach- 
ing of  the  great  reformer  Ulrich  Zwingli.  We 
visited  his  monument,  and  also  saw  the  armor 
that  he  wore  at  the  time  he  was  killed  (in  the 
battle  of  Kappel),  which  is  kept  here  in  the 
National  Museum. 

In  this  same  city,  a  little  later  than  Zwingli,  a 
Protestant  council  condemned  a  young  man  named 
Felix  Mantz  to  be  drowned  because  he  rejected 
infant  sprinkling  and  taught  that  people  ought  to 
be  immersed.    He  met  death  by  drowning. 

Zurich  is  a  beautiful  city,  situated  in  a  fertile 


154  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


valley  surrounded  by  mountains.  The  Alps  are 
plainly  visible,  and  the  cool  breezes  from  their 
snow-covered  peaks  sweep  over  the  place. 

We  held  meetings  in  this  city  February  20-27. 
God  gave  us  a  very  precious  time.  The  people 
are  not  so  demonstrative  as  in  Germany,  being  of 
a  quiet,  reserved  disposition;  but  the  Swiss  peo- 
ple are  deep,  and  think  twice  before  they  act.  In 
all,  about  forty  people  bowed  at  the  altar  for 
pardon  and  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

At  the  close  of  this  meeting  Brother  Doebert  and 
I  went  by  train  to  Winterthur,  where  we  held  a 
service  with  good  attendance  and  interest.  On 
March  1  we  went  through  the  country  to  Holtz- 
hausen  for  a  meeting.  On  the  way  we  visited  an 
old  pilgrim  who  had  read  my  articles  in  the  Ger- 
man Posaune.  He  did  not  know  that  I  had  come 
to  Europe.  When  Brother  Doebert  told  him  who 
I  was,  he  wept  like  a  child  and  shouted  for  joy. 
He  called  me  Brother  ^'Riglee." 

Like  eastern  France,  Switzerland  has  its  houses 
and  barns  both  under  one  roof.  We  held  the 
night  service  in  one  of  these  buildings,  and  this 
gave  me  an  opportunity  to  examine  it.  There  is 
a  heavy  partition  between  the  two  parts,  with  a 
single  door  of  entrance.  The  family  lives  in  one 
end,  and  all  the  stock  in  the  other.  They  are 
ready  to  argue  that  this  is  by  far  the  most  con- 
venient and  better  method,  as  they  do  not  need 
to  go  outside  to  feed  their  cattle  and  horses.  But 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


155 


it  does  not  appeal  very  strongly  to  an  American, 
and  I  failed  to  agree  with  them. 


CLIMBING  THE  ALPS 

We  left  Zurich  early  on  the  morning  of  March 
via  the  Gothard  Railroad,  for  Goschenen,  a 
town  near  the  summit  of  the  scenic  Alps  Mountains 
and  at  the  entrance  of  the  great  St.  Gothard  tun- 
nel. The  day  was  ideal,  and  we  had  a  fine  view  of 
the  mountains  all  the  way.  We  reached  our  des- 
tination at  9:15  A.  M.,  checked  our  suitcases  at 
the  station,  and  secured  rooms  at  the  White  Horse 
Hotel,  where  we  left  our  small  satchels,  and  then 
started  on  a  sight-seeing  tour. 

The  mountains  all  around  us  were  covered  with 
snow  and  ice  glistening  in  the  clear  sunshine. 

We  first  walked  to  Wasson,  a  distance  of  four 
miles.  The  scenery  was  very  beautiful.  At  noon 
we  took  train  back  to  Goschenen  and  ate  our  din- 
ner. After  lunch  we  began  to  climb  along  a 
trail  to  the  highest  summit  of  the  Alpine  chain 
of  mountains.  The  distance  was  several  miles, 
and  required  great  effort  and  considerable  en- 
durance. Near  the  top  is  the  main  pass  between 
Switzerland  and  Italy  and  a  military  station  named 
Andermatt. 

The  sights  were  wonderful.  It  is  claimed  that 
here  is  the  most  beautiful  scenery  on  the  Alpine 
Mountains.    There  were  deep  gorges  and  canons, 


156  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


awful  precipices,  dashing  streams  of  water,  piles 
of  snow  and  ice,  and  many  things  of  interest  on 
every  side.  However,  my  personal  opinion  is  that 
the  Rocky  and  Cascade  Mountains  on  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Railroad  eclipse  anything  to  be  seen  in 
the  Alps.  I  saw  nothing  in  Switzerland  that 
equals  the  scenery  at  Glacier,  on  the  Canadian 
I^acific  Railroad.  I  say  this  without  prejudice. 
Americans  need  not  go  to  Europe  in  order  to 
see  nature's  beauty.  We  have  a  great  variety  of 
it  at  home,  and  it  is  not  exceeded  anywhere. 

IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE  CAESARS 

Early  on  March  4  we  passed  through  the  St. 
Gothard  tunnel,  and  began  a  winding  descent  of 
the  Alps  on  the  south  side.  We  all  agreed  that 
the  scenery  on  this  side  of  the  Alpine  Range  was 
the  better.  As  we  rapidly  descended  below  the 
snow  line,  the  mountains  were  covered  with 
orchards  and  vineyards.  Here  we  saw  great  flocks 
of  goats.  The  houses  are  built  of  stone,  and  even 
the  roofs  are  made  of  flat  stones.  The  doors  are 
very  small  and  low,  and  the  windows  narrow. 
We  passed  through  the  beautiful  summer-resort 
city  of  Lugano,  located  on  a  large  mountain  lake. 
The  scenery  at  this  place  was  superb.  By  2  P.  M. 
we  were  on  the  plains  of  Italy,  and  the  warm, 
balmy  breezes  of  the  Mediterranean  and  Adriatic 
greeted  us.  At  11:30  P.  M.  we  had  reached  the 
city  of 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


157 


Venice 

Venice  is  a  city  built  on  the  waters  of  the 
Adriatic  Sea.  Its  history  dates  from  about  the 
third  century  A.  D.  We  saw  no  horses,  wagons, 
or  carriages  in  the  entire  city.  All  trafficking  is 
done  by  boats  called  gondolas,  for  the  streets  are 
waterways.  We  enjoyed  this  mode  of  travel  very 
much.  We  spent  March  5  in  this  city,  and  visited 
every  place  generally  worth  seeing,  including  St. 
Thomas'  Church,  St.  Stephen's  Church,  and  St. 
Mark's  Church.  The  Catholic  service  held  in 
each  of  these  places  was  all  new  and  intensely 
interesting  to  us.  The  large  glass-works  where 
the  finest  mosaics  are  done  was  also  interesting. 
We  also  visited  the  Clock  Tower,  the  great  open 
square,  and  the  seashore  plaza.  We  took  an  hour's 
ride  on  a  gondola-boat  through  some  of  the 
streets  and  out  into  the  Adriatic  Sea.  In  the 
harbor  we  passed  two  American  gunboats,  Gilmer 
No.  233  and  James  245.  George  saluted  them  with 
a  small  American  flag,  and  the  boys  waved  to  us. 
Venice  is  a  pretty  place  of  palm-trees  and  warm 
sunshine.  W^e  enjoyed  this  very  much,  as  it  was 
in  sharp  contrast  with  the  cold,  snowy  Alps,  from 
which  we  had  just  come.  We  took  train  the  same 
night  for 

Milan 

We  spent  Sunday,  March  6,  in  Milan.  From 
10:30  A.  M.  till  noon  we  attended  services  in  the 
great  cathedral  of  Milan.     This   edifice  has  a 


158 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


capacity  of  forty  thousand  people,  and  is  exceeded 
only  by  St.  Peter's  Chnrcli  at  Eome.  The  elab- 
orate services  in  this  church  surpassed  anything 
we  had  ever  witnessed  for  form  and  ceremony. 
After  the  meeting  we  went  through  the  Cathedral, 
climbed  about  four  hundred  steps  to  the  roof,  and 
then  went  to  the  tower  above  all  the  spires,  where 
we  had  a  splendid  view  of  the  city. 

At  2:30  P.  M.  we  attended  an  interesting  ser- 
vice in  St.  Ambrose  Church.  This  ancient  place 
and  its  historical  association  made  it  a  great  privi- 
lege for  us  to  attend  a  religious  meeting  there. 
From  here  we  went  to  St.  Grezle  (Grace)  Church. 
Here  we  witnessed  pagan  idolatry  under  a  Chris- 
tian garb.  We  closed  the  day  at  a  meeting  in 
St.  Mark's  Greek  Catholic  Church.  We  felt  much 
as  Paul  did  while  he  tarried  in  Athens  and  saw 
the  whole  city  given  over  to  idolatiy  and  super- 
stition. My  inmost  soul  was  mightily  stirred,  and 
we  were  made  more  than  ever  to  appreciate  the 
light  of  evangelical  Christianity.  Our  visit  to 
Milan  was  full  of  interest. 

Florence 

We  left  Milan  at  6:15  A.  M.,  March  7,  for 
Florence,  were  we  arrived  at  1:20  P.  M.  of  the 
same  day.  The  scenery  between  Milan  and  Flor- 
ence was  simply  grand.  The  first  half  of  the  jour- 
ney took  us  through  a  level  country,  while  the  re- 
mainder was  through  a  veiy  mountainous  dis- 
trict.   The  whole  country  was  covered  with  orch- 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


159 


ards,  vineyards,  and  olive-groves.  Italy  is  cer- 
tainly a  great  fruit-country,  and  from  the  appear- 
ance we  gathered  that  they  specialize  along  this 
line. 

Florence  is  the  great  art-city  of  Italy.  Here  we 
visited  GaUeria  Degli  Ufflja,  the  world's  greatest 
art-gallery;  and  crossed  the  river  and  went  through 
the  Plazzo  De  Pitt  Gallery.  In  these  we  saw  some 
of  the  world's  finest  paintings.  We  saw  original 
paintings  of  such  men  as  Eaphael  and  Michael- 
angelo. 

We  visited  St.  Grose  Church,  and  also  the  tombs 
of  Dante,  Michaelangelo,  and  G^alileo  the  great 
astronomer.  We  visited  the  great  Cathedral  of 
Florence,  an  immense  structure  of  marble.  In 
the  St.  Marie  Catholic  Church  the  people  pros- 
trated themselves  before  many  different  images 
and  kissed  them.  We  saw  women  press  their  lips 
into  the  hole  in  the  side  of  a  wax  figure  that  was 
lying  on  the  floor  representing  Christ,  with  the 
appearance  of  blood  oozing  from  the  place  where 
the  spear  entered.  Here  you  see  Rome  as  she 
really  is— a  system  of  image-worship  and  rank 
idolatry.  We  also  took  an  interurban-car  and 
made  a  tour  of  many  miles  around  the  city. 

Pisa 

We  left  Florence  at  9:20  A.'  M.,  March  9,  for 
Pisa,  where  we  spent  the  remainder  of  the  day. 
The  country  bet\\^een  Florence  and  Pisa  is  very 


160 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


beautiful.  We  saw  many  strange  sights  along  the 
way.  The  fanners  do  practically  all  their  work 
with  oxen,  and  most  of  the  oxen  are  white.  The 
plum-  and  peach-trees  were  all  in  bloom.  Here 
hundreds  of  women  work  in  the  fields  with  the 
men.  The  wheat  is  planted  in  rows  and  the 
women  hoe  it  just  as  we  do  com  in  America. 

At  Pisa  we  visited  another  great  cathedral,  also 
the  Baptistry,  where  they  told  us  all  the  children 
of  Pisa  have  the  Catholic  rite  administered.  We 
also  visited  the  Leaning  Tower,  from  the  top  of 
which  we  got  our  first  view  of  the  Mediterranean 
Sea. 

Rome 

We  went  to  Rome  on  March  10,  and  spent  four 
days  visiting  places  of  interest  in  this  great  city. 
This  was  once  the  'imperial  city,"  the  capital  of 
the  then-known  world,  the  proud  home  of  the  Caesars. 
Here  Paul  lived  in  his  own  hired  house  for  two 
years,  and  under  Nero  was  martyred.  In  those 
days  magnificence  and  power  were  expressed  in 
the  name  *^Rome."  Yes,  this  was  the  home  of 
Cicero  and  Seneca.  Modern  Eome,  while  a  beauti- 
ful city,  does  not  compare  with  the  ancient  city 
on  the  Tiber.  This  was  the  seat  of  pagan  govern- 
ment under  the  proud  Caesars,  and  later  became  ^ 
the  seat  of  the  papacy,  which  it  remains  today. 

Among  the  many  places  of  interest  we  visited 
are  the  following:  The  Tower  where  Nero  sat  and 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


161 


fiddled  while  Eome  w^s  burning;  ruins  of  the 
original  Trajan  Square  and  Court  of  Justice;  the 
world's  largest  monument  of  marble,  erected  be- 
fore the  war  to  Victor  Immanuel;  Capitoline  Hill, 
one  of  the  original  seven  hills  on  which  Rome  was 
built.  This  was  once  called  ''Sacred  Hill,"  where 
pagan  gods  were  worshiped.  (The  present  king  of 
Italy  has  his  residence  here.)  Next  we  went  to  the 
Forum;  here  are  acres  of  ruins  of  ancient  Rome. 
This  originally  was  the  center  of  Rome.  A  few 
of  the  interesting  things  here  are  the  ruins  of 
the  palace  and  residence  of  Caesars,  the  place 
where  Julius  Caesar  is  buried,  tomb  of  the  first 
Roman  emperor,  Arch  of  Titus,  Temple  of  Vesta, 
and  the  place  where  Paul  was  brought  tc  Caesar. 
No  doubt  the  old  street  over  which  we  passed  was 
the  one  the  great  apostle  trod.  We  spent  several 
hours  in  this  interesting  place.  Next  we  went  to 
the  Colosseum.  Here  we  saw  the  cells,  or  cages, 
where  the  lions  were  kept  that  devoured  the  Chris- 
tians. A  sacred  feeling  crept  over  us  as  we  stood 
on  the  very  spot  where  thousands  of  Christians 
gave  their  lives  for  Christ.  We  climbed  to  the 
top  of  this  great  amphitheater,  where  we  had  a 
splendid  view  of  the  entire  structure.  The  Vatican 
was  next  visited.  Our  guide,  though  not  a  Catholic, 
was  a  special  friend  of  the  Pope  from  boyhood. 
Thus  by  special  permission  we  saw  the  private 
residence  of  the  Pope.  We  saw  the  miter  he 
wears  on  his  head,  and  his  armor  worn  on  special 


162  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


occasions.  We  had  permission  to  see  the  Pope 
himself,  but  the  conditions  we  refused  to  submit 
to,  namely,  to  put  on  a  black  robe,  make  the  sign 
of  the  cross,  take  the  wafer  from  his  hand,  and 
receive  his  blessing.  This  w^ould  have  cost  us 
twenty-five  lire,  or  something  over  one  dollar  each, 
for  the  use  of  the  black  robes.  But  to  go  through 
this  ceremony  of  Catholic  worship  we  would  not, 
even  at  the  expense  of  not  seeing  the  great 
head  of  Rome.  The  special  privilege  of  seeing 
the  Pope  is  granted  near  the  Easter  season.  We 
went  through  the  Vatican  museum.  On  Sunday 
we  attended  services  in  St.  Peter's,  the  largest 
church  in  the  world.  Here  several  popes  are  in- 
terred. It  is  said  that  Peter  was  martyred  on 
the  site  of  this  church  and  buried  here.  In  fact, 
they  opened  his  supposed  tomb  and  permitted  us 
to  look  on  the  very  depository  of  his  remains.  In 
this  church  we  saw  them  bow  before  the  image  of 
St.  Peter  and  kiss  his  toe.  We  saw  some  men 
put  the  toe  in  their  mouths  and  lick  it.  The  whole 
place  was  full  of  image-worship  and  idolatry. 

We  passed  the  theater  built  by  Julius  Caesar 
B.  C.  46,  and  also  visited  Palatine  Hill,  the  great 
palace  of  Caesar,  and  the  ruins  of  the  public  baths, 
where  twenty-six  thousand  people  could  bathe  at 
one  time.  We  went  through  Sebastian  Gate,  in 
the  old  Roman  wall,  and  went  out  on  the  Appian 
Way,  over  wthich  Paul  entered  the  city,  and  visited 
the  Catacombs.    The  Pantheon  was  an  interesting 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


163 


place.  It  was  erected  B.  0.  27,  and  was  a  place  of 
pagan  worship.  Afterward  it  was  converted  into 
a  Christian  temple.  We  visited  St.  Marie  Majora 
Church,  built  in  the  thirteenth  century.  The  pul- 
pit was  erected  by  Pope  Benedict  XIV.  The  col- 
umns of  this  great  pulpit  were  taken  out  of  the 
Forum,  and  originally  belonged  to  Constantine's 
palace.  We  here  saw  the  tomb  of  Pope  Pius  V, 
and  the  robe  he  wore  at  the  time  of  his  death.  St. 
John's  Lateran  Church  was  very  interesting.  It 
was  built  by  Constantine  in  the  fourth  century 
A.  D.  This  was  the  residence  of  the  popes  before 
the  Vatican  was  built.  The  ceiling  of  this  old 
church  is  the  most  artistic  of  any  in  Rome.  Here 
we  witnessed  an  interesting  service,  the  ordination 
of  ten  priests  by  the  High  Cardinal  and  Tetrarch 
of  Rome.  Probably  two  hundred  high  dignitaries 
and  priests  took  part  in  the  ceremony. 

We  next  went  to  the  ^*Holy  Stairs"  in  the  Scala 
Sancta,  They  claim  these  are  the  ones  that  led 
up  to  Pilate's  balcony  in  Jerusalem,  and  were 
brought  to  Rome  by  the  Empress  St.  Helena. 
Here  Christ  was  supposed  to  have  ascended  when 
brought  before  Pilate.  Nine  years'  indulgence 
applicable  to  their  souls  in  purgatory  is  granted, 
according  to  the  decision  of  Pope  Pius  VII  on 
Oct.  24,  1819,  to  all  who  ascend  these  steps  on 
their  knees.  Here  we  beheld  a  score  or  more  well- 
dressed  and  poorly  clad  dupes  creep  up  step  by 


164 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


step  on  their  knees,  kissing  the  steps  and  bowing 
again  and  again. 

We  went  to  the  font  where  Constantine  was  bap- 
tized when  converted  to  Christianity.  Here  we 
saw  a  priest  christen  a  baby.  Before  pouring  the 
water  on  its  head,  he  put  butter  and  honey  into 
its  mouth.  The  ruins  on  the  Aventine  Hill  next 
claimed  our  attention.  This  is  one  of  the  seven 
hills  of  ancient  Kome.  From  here  we  went  to  the 
ancient  cemetery  of  Rome,  thence  through  San 
Palo  Gate  in  the  old  walls  to  St.  PauPs  Church, 
where  the  great  apostle  is  said  to  be  buried.  We 
visited  his  supposed  tomb.  Three  miles  beyond 
this  is  the  place  of  three  fountains,  where,  it  is 
claimed,  Paul  was  beheaded.  This,  like  many 
other  things,  must  be  accepted  with  some  doubt. 
It  appealed  to  us  as  being  too  many  miles  from 
the  walls  of  the  city  to  lead  a  man  to  execution, 
i'rom:  here  wte  returned  to  the  city  and  visited 
an  underground  pagan  prison  dating  from  B.  C. 
600.  Here  we  entered  what  is  claimed  to  be  the 
cell  where  Paul  was  kept  under  Nero  until  his 
execution.  The  place  where  Caesar  was  assassinated 
by  Brutus  was  pointed  out  to  us. 

Altogether,  our  visit  to  Rome  was  intensely  inter- 
esting. The  more  we  see  of  this  pagan  worship  un- 
der a  Christian  garb,  the  more  we  feel  inspired  with 
boldness  to  go  forth  with  the  message  of  saving 
truth.  A  visit  here  to  the  seat  of  the  Papacy  con- 
firms in  us  more  than  ever  the  truth  that  this 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


165 


false  system  of  worship  is  the  great  Babylon  of 
Kevelation,  an  '^abomination  of  desolation/^ 

Naples 

We  left  Rome  at  9:15  A.  M.,  March  14,  and 
arrived  in  Naples  at  2:30  P.  M.  of  the  same  day. 
On  leaving  Rome  we  passed  the  large  viaducts 
where  water  was  conveyed  from  the  mountains  to 
supply  ancient  Rome.  As  in  northern  Italy,  the 
entire  country  is  covered  with  vineyards  and  orch- 
ards, except  that  as  we  neared  Naples  the  variety 
of  fruit  changed  to  orange-  and  lemon-groves,  laden 
with  ripe  fruit.  Along  the  way  we  saw  oxen  and 
horses  hitched  together  to  wagons  and  plows. 
Along  the  streams  the  women  were  washing  by 
pounding  their  clothes  on  the  stone  and  rocks. 
Most  of  the  hogs  in  this  section  were  blue  in 
color.  There  were  no  fences,  and  boys  and  girls 
herded  all  the  stock. 

On  the  streets  of  Naples  we  saw  many  things 
new  and  strange  to  us.  All  traffic  begins  at  5 
A.  M.,  and  such  a  bedlam  we  never  before  heard. 
Delivery  wagons  are  heavy,  two-wheeled,  peculiar- 
looking  vehicles,  and  the  wheels  are  immense  in 
size.  Often  in  the  center  is  hitched  a  large  white 
ox  with  a  small  pony  on  each  side.  We  spent 
three  days  in  this  city  and  its  environs. 

We  visited  Pompeii.  This  city  was  destroyed 
in  A.  D.  79,  by  the  eruption  from  Vesuvius.  At 
the  time  of  its  destruction  it  numbered  forty-five 


166 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


thousand  people.  It  lies  six  miles  from  the  vol- 
cano. We  secured  a  guide  and  went  through  the 
ruins  of  the  entire  place  that  has  been  excavated. 
We  had  not  gone  far  until  we  were  convinced 
why  this  place  was  destroyed.  There  is  every  evi- 
dence that  the  inhabitants  were  given  over  to 
licentiousness  of  the  lowest  kind.  Evidently  this 
awful  destruction  came  as  a  judgment  from  Al- 
mighty God. 

We  next  visited  the  volcano.  We  took  Cook's 
route  to  the  top,  3,680  feet.  There  before  us  was 
the  awful  crater  2,500  feet  wide  and  several  hun- 
dred feet  deep.  We  stood  on  the  brink  with  the 
hot  sulfur  fumes  ascending  near  our  feet.  But 
fortunately  the  day  we  were  there  the  wind  was 
blowing  toward  the  opposite  direction  from  where 
we  stood.  This  enabled  us  to  look  clear  down  into 
the  crater.  In  the  center  is  a  large  hole  probably 
fifty  feet  in  diameter,  and  out  of  this  shot  im- 
mense flames  of  fire  and  sulfurous  smoke.  About 
every  two  minutes  while  we  were  there  it  sounded 
as  though  it  thundered  in  the  caverns  below,  and 
then  would  come  forth  a  great  volume  of  flame 
and  yellow  smoke.  This  place  reminded  us  of  the 
Bible  description  of  hell.  I  thought,  O  my  God, 
I  never  want  to  land  in  perdition!  In  1906  there 
was  a  great  eruption,  and  the  mountain-side  is 
covered  with  lava  from  that. 

We  also  visited  the  large  museum,  where  we 
saw  a  great  collection  of  things  taken  from  the 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


167 


ruins  of  Pompeii.  We  went  to  an  old  fort  located 
high  above  the  city,  and  from  here  we  had  a  splen- 
did view  of  the  city  and  bay  of  Naples. 

Brindisi 

Brindisi  is  located  on  the  Adriatic  Sea,  about 
two  hundred  miles  east  of  Naples.  From  here 
we  were  booked  to  sail  to  Alexandria.  We  were 
two  days  waiting  for  our  boat.  Flowers  bloom 
outdoors  all  winter.  We  passed  through  the  resi- 
dence section,  and  of  all  the  filthy  houses,  streets, 
and  people  we  ever  saw,  this  eclipsed  them  all. 
The  market  was  an  interesting  place.  The  food- 
stuff was  anything  but  clean,  and  the  people  who 
sold  it  no  better.  W^hat  a  bedlam  here,  with  scores 
of  men  and  women  crying  at  the  top  of  their 
voices  trying  to  sell  their  produce!  We  visited 
two  Catholic  churches,  and  saw  poor,  ragged  crea- 
tures paying  money  into  the  hands  of  ignorant- 
looking  fellows  who  were  repeating  prayers  that 
the  sins  of  those  paying  might  be  forgiven. 

During  the  fifteen  days  we  remained  in  Italy 
we  were  treated  well  at  every  place.  We  found 
the  people  of  northern  Italy  a  high-class  and  re- 
fined people.  They  endeavor  to  show  every 
courtesy  to  strangers.  Southern  Italy  is  very 
different  in  that  its  people  are  not  so  advanced 
and  enlightened.  Of  course,  as  in  all  countries, 
there  is  the  better  class  and  the  lower  class  every- 
where. 


168 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


ON  THE  BLUE  MEDITERRANEAN 

We  left  Brindisi  at  7  P.  M.,  March  18,  on  board 
the  SS.  Vienna,  a  large  Austrian  vessel  taken 
over  by  Italy  as  a  result  of  the  late  war.  We 
were  three  nights  and  two  days  reaching  Alex- 
andria, and  had  a  very  pleasant  voyage  down  the 
Adriatic  and  across  the  Mediterranean.  As  on  the 
Atlantic,  none  of  us  missed  a  meal  from  seasick- 
ness. Our  route  followed  close  along  the  west 
coast  of  Grreece,  and  on  March  19  we  were  in 
sight  of  Greece  all  the  forenoon. 

About  4:30  of  the  same  evening  we  were  skirt- 
ing close  along- the  southern  coast  of  a  large  island. 
The  ship's  officers  informed  us  that  this  was 
Crete.  There  were  two  harbors,  and  I  took  a 
photograph  of  one.  What  feelings  filled  our 
hearts  as  we  remembered  that  twenty  centuries 
ago  Paul  and  his  company  sailed  along  this  same 
shore,  and  was  shipw^recked  farther  west!  He 
was  going  to  Rome  as  a  prisoner,  and  was  on  a 
boat  from  Alexandria.  We  were  going  in  the  oppo- 
site direction,  on  a  modern  steamer,  to  Alexandria. 
It  was  on  this  very  island  that  the  Apostle  left 
Titus  to  '^set  in  order  the  things  that  are  want- 
ing, and  ordain  elders  in  every  city"  (Titus  1:5). 

Oh,  the  beautiful  blue  Miediterranean !  Its  sil- 
very spray  in  the  moonlight  presented  a  scene  of 
grandeur.  This  was  the  ^' Great  Sea"  of  Bible 
times,  the  largest  body  of  water  known  to  the 
then  civilized  world.    Along  and  near  its  shores 


EASTWARD  BOUx\D 


169 


were  clustered  the  great  churches  in  the  days  of 
primitive  Christianity. 


LANDING  IN  EGYPT 

Early  on  the  morning  of  March  21  we  were 
approaching  the  coast  of  Egypt,  the  land  of  the 
Pharaohs.  Large  groves  of  palm-  and  date-trees 
were  in  evidence  everywhere.  About  six  o'clock 
the  city  of  Alexandria  loomed  in  sight,  and  in 
another  hour  we  were  at  the  docks.  Soon  after 
our  boat  arrived,  a  native  came  through  the  ship 
calling  ''Riggle,"  and  when  I  answered,  he  handed 
me  a  card  bearing  the  words,  "G.  K.  Olizounian, 
church  of  God."  When  we  reached  the  deck. 
Brother  Ouzounian  and  a  number  of  the  church 
greeted  us  with  waving  handkerchiefs. 

I  could  not  restrain  the  hot  tears  that  streamed 
down  my  cheeks.  Oh,  how  good  their  faces  looked 
to  us  in  this  strange  land!  After  the  necessary 
stamping  of  passports,  we  secured  a  porter  to 
carry  our  baggage  to  the  custom-house,  and  were 
soon  in  the  embrace  of  our  brethren.  God's  saints 
are  the  same  everywhere.  At  the  docks  our  per- 
sons were  thoroughly  searched  by  officers,  and, 
after  some  difficulty,  we  passed  on  into  the  city, 
and  were  soon  safe  in  the  house  of  Sister  Tabakian. 

IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE  PHARAOHS 
Alexandria 

We  held  a  five  days'  meeting  in  Alexandria.  The 


170 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


attendance  was  good  and  increased  to  the  end. 
Seven  persons  claimed  conversion  and  one  entire 
sanctification.  Here  I  spoke  through  two  inter- 
preters. Bro.  Abdul  Talut  Mikhail  stood  on  my 
right  side  and  interpreted  into  Arabic,  while  Bro. 
Khatcher  Sarian  stood  on  my  left  and  translated 
into  Turkish.  I  had  to  wait  between  sentences 
until  both  had  translated  what  I  said.  It  seemed 
rather  slow  to  me  at  first;  but  the  Lord  wonder- 
fully helped,  and  I  learned  to  say  more  in  a  few 
words. 

Alexandria  is  a  city  of  600,000  population. 
There  are  many  places  worth  seeing  in  and  around 
the  city,  which  we  visited.  Some  authorities  claim 
that  St.  Mark  was  dragged  to  death  through  the 
streets  of  ancient  Alexandria.  Probably  the  most 
interesting  places  of  all  are  the  ruins  of  the  hea- 
then temples  of  Pompey. 

Cairo 

We  left  Alexandria  on  March  26  and  arrived 
at  Cairo  the  same  day.  There  were  many  new 
and  strange  things  to  be  seen  all  along  the  way. 
We  held  meetings  in  Cairo  from  March  26  to  April 
1.  The  place  of  meeting  was  crowded  each  night. 
A  number  were  converted,  and  more  than  twenty 
presented  themselves  for  entire  sanctification. 
During  our  stay  in  Cairo  we  were  hospitably 
cared  for  by  Brother  and  Sister  Ouzounian  and 
family. 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


171 


While  in  Cairo  we  visited  the  Pyramids.  We 
climbed  to  the  top  of  the  highest,  451  feet.  Here 
we  had  a  fine  view  over  Cairo  and  far  into  the 
desert.  We  also  went  through  them.  From  the 
Pyramids  we  rode  camels  to  the  Sphinx.  We 
visited  the  Zoological  Gardens,  which  contain  much 
of  interest.  We  also  visited  the  Cairo  Museum 
of  Antiquities.  Among  the  thousands  of  interest- 
ing things  here  was  the  mummy  of  Rameses  II, 
the  Pharaoh  of  the  Israelite  oppression,  and  the 
mummy  of  his  son,  the  traditional  Pharaoh  of  the 
exodus.  Also  we  were  shown  some  of  the  parch- 
ments of  what  they  claimed  to  be  the  original 
manuscripts  of  the  Second  Epistle  of  Peter,  writ- 
ten with  his  own  hand. 

Fayoum 

On  April  1,  Brother  Ouzounian  and  I  went  to 
Fayoum,  a  city  of  twenty  thousand  people,  one 
hundred  miles  south  of  Cairo,  in  Upper  Egypt. 
This  is  one  of  the  oldest  cities  in  all  Eigypt,  dat- 
ing from  before  Christ.  Our  route  took  us  along 
the  Nile  River.  There  is  a  small  congregation  at 
Fayoum,  of  which  Tewfik  Mikhail  is  pastor.  We 
held  four  services  in  the  Presbyterian  American 
Mission;  the  average  attendance  was  about  three 
hundred  people.  When  I  preached  on  "Regenera- 
tion,'^ probably  one  hundred  hands  went  up  for 
prayer.  The  pastor,  who  was  interpreter  for  me, 
whispered,  ^'They  all  need  it/' 


172 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Minieh 

Our  next  meeting  was  in  Minieh,  a  eity  of  thirty 
thousand  people.  There  is  a  good  work  estab- 
lished here,  of  which  Hanna  Arsanious  has  been 
acting  as  pastor.  The  first  service  was  held  in 
the  church  of  God  chapel,  but  it  did  not  contain 
the  people;  so  the  pastor  of  the  Second  Presby- 
terian Church  invited  us  to  hold  the  next  service 
in  their  church,  which  invitation  we  accepted,  and 
preached  to  a  large  congregation  of  people.  The 
third  night  we  held  a  men's  meeting  in  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  which  was  crowded  to  its 
capacity.  I  spoke  on  ''The  True  Measure  of  a 
Man.''  Bro.  Mosad  Armanious,  of  Assiout,  inter- 
preted. Hands  went  up  for  prayer  all  over  the 
building,  and  the  Lord  wonderfully  blessed,  and 
poured  out  his  Spirit. 


A  NINE  DAYS'  TOUR  OF  PALESTINE 

On  April  7,  at  6:30  P.  M.,  we  left  Cairo  for 
Jerusalem.  Our  route  took  us  through  the  ancient 
land  of  Goshen,  where  the  Israelites  sojourned 
and  were  finally  oppressed  in  Egypt.  I  reminded 
our  folk  that  now  was  fulfilled  the  little  song  I 
used  to  sing  to  George  when  he  was  a  baby  boy: 

Georgie,  Georgie,  I  have  a  notion 
You  and  I  will  cross  the  ocean; 
We  will  go  by  locomotion, 
Till  we  reach  the  la.nd  of  Goshen. 

We  crossed  the  Suez  Canal  at  Kantara.  From 
here  we  passed  through  the  desert  along  much  the 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


173 


same  route  Jacob  followed  when  he  went  into 
Egypt,  and  which  Joseph  and  Mary,  with  the  in- 
fant Jesus,  traversed  when  they  fled  from  Herod. 

— ^    ^Land  of  the  Philistines 

When  we  emerged  from  the  desert,  we  entered 
the  ancient  land  of  the  Philistines.  We  traveled 
through  the  entire  length  of  this  section  which 
was  once  the  home  of  a  powerful  nation,  one  of 
Israel's  greatest  enemies.  We  were  impressed 
with  the  richness  of  its  soil  and  the  vast  wheat- 
fields  stretching  out  before  us  in  every  direction. 
I  thought  of  Samson  tying  the  tails  of  three  hun- 
dred foxes  together,  and  with  fire-brands  burning 
the  wheat-crops  of  the  ancient  Philistines. 

Under  British  mandate,  this  section  is  rapidly 
being  converted  into  a  very  prosperous  farming 
and  fruit-growing  district.  Olive-  and  orange- 
groves  are  numerous.  Our  train  stopped  at  Gaza. 
Here  Samson  carried  away  the  gates  of  the  city 
by  night  (Judg.  16:3).  It  was  on  the  road  from 
Jerusalem  to  this  city  that  Philip  met  the  eunuch 
and  baptized  him  (Acts  8:26-39).  Near  the  sta- 
tion are  many  beautiful  groves.  The  present  city 
numbers  about  forty  thousand.  During  the  World 
War  a  battle  was  fought  here. 

Next  we  reached  Askelon,  about  twelve  miles 
north  of  Gaza.  This  was  once  a  royal  city  of  the 
Philistines.  The  orchards  and  gardens  here  are 
of  great  repute.    Our  train  also  stopped  at  Ash 


174  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


dod,  about  midway  between  Gaza  and  Joppa. 
This  was  one  of  the  great  confederate  cities  of 
the  Philistines.  It  is  the  same  place  as  that  called 
Azotus  in  Acts  8:40,  where  Philip  was  found  after 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  caught  him  away.  In  the 
Arabic  Testament,  Acts  8:40  reads,  "And  Philip 
was  found  at  Ashdod.''  Today  it  is  an  insigni- 
ficant village,  inhabited  mostly  by  Arabs,  who 
show  little  improvement  or  progress.  It  was  a 
common  sight  near  Ashdod  to  see  natives  plowing 
with  a  crooked  stick  drawn  by  a  camel  and  ox 
hitched  together,  or  maybe  a  donkey  and  an  ox 
unequally  yoked  together. 

Lydda 

"Lydda  was  nigh  to  Joppa"  (Acts  9:38).  Peter 
'^came  down  also  to  the  saints  which  dwelt  at 
Lydda"  (Acts  9:32).  It  was  here  that  Aeneas 
was  healed  of  palsy  after  being  afflicted  eight 
years  (Acts  9:33,  34).  "And  all  that  dwelt  at 
Lydda  and  Sharon  saw  him,  and  turned  to  the 
Ijord"  (Acts  9:35).  When  Dorcas  died  at  Joppa, 
the  disciples  sent  to  Lydda  two  men,  who  brought 
Peter  with  them  to  Joppa,  and  Dorcas  was  raised 
to  life  (Acts  9:36-43). 

The  name  of  the  modem  town  is  Ludd.  Its 
present  population  is  about  seven  thousand.  It  is 
a  junction-point,  as  the  road  from  Jaffa  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  the  road  from  Kantara  to  Haifa,  both 
run  through  Ludd,  and  make  connections  here. 
It  is  beautifully  situated  in  the  plain  of  Sharon, 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


175 


and  is  surrounded  by  vast  orange-  and  lemon- 
groves.  It  is  said  that  oranges  among  the  largest 
in  the  world  grow  between  here  and  Jaffa.  I  am 
sure  they  are  the  largest  we  ever  saw.  We  made 
connections  here  at  9:15  A.  M.,  April  8,  for  Jeru- 
salem. On  April  13,  on  our  way  to  H^ifa,  we 
again  stopped  a  short  time.  But  we  never  really 
visited  the  town  until  April  4,  1923,  when  we  made 
a  tour  of  all  the  interesting  places  to  be  seen. 
Plain  af  Sharon 
The  plain  of  Sharon  is  a  vast  district  lying 
between  the  mountains  of  the  central  part  of  the 
Holy  Land  on  the  east  and  the  Mediterranean  Sea 
on  the  west.  It  extends  from  a  point  south  of 
liudd  and  Jaffa  northward  almost  to  Haifa,  a  dis- 
tance of  sixty  miles.  It  averages  about  ten  miles 
wide.  Originally  it  was  one  of  the  most  fertile 
districts  in  Palestine,  and  today  it  remains  the 
most  productive  we  have  seen.  It  was  once  so 
beautiful  and  fruitful  that  it  called  out  from  the 
evangelistic  prophet  Isaiah  the  expression,  ^'The 
excellency  of  Carmel  and  Sharon"  (Isa.  35:2). 
Again  in  Solomon's  Song  2:1,  we  read,  '^I  am  the 
rose  of  Sharon.'*  This  is  almost  universally 
applied  to  Christ.  Many  beautiful  and  soul-in- 
spiring hymns  have  been  written  about  Sharon. 
Many  excellent  expressions  have  been  coined  from 
this  word. 

On  April  8,  as  we  left  Ludd,  we  crossed  a 
section  of  this  plain  of  Sharon,  and  on  April  13 


176  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


we  traversed  its  entire  length  from  Ludd  to  Haifa. 
Again  on  April  4,  1923,  we  traveled  through  much 
of  it  by  automobile.  Great  improvements  are  in 
progress.  The  finest  crushed-limestone  automobile- 
roads  are  being  completed  in  every  direction,  and 
extensive  farming  with  modem  methods  is  carried 
on.  Great  fields  of  wheat  and  barley  stretch  east- 
ward to  the  mountains  and  westward  to  the  sea. 
There  are  hundreds  of  acres  of  orange-  and  olive- 
groves  dotting  the  landscape.  The  most  beautiful 
flowers  grow  here  in  abundance. 

Fram  Ludd  ta  Jerusalem 

To  Bible-students,  the  journey  from  Ludd  to 
Jerusalem  is  an  interesting  trip.  It  takes  us 
through  a  country  the  hills,  valleys,  and  sites  of 
cities  of  which  we  have  read  about  in  the  Bible 
from  childhood.  All  along  the  way  were  myriads 
of  wild  flowers.  The  first  place  of  interest  was 
Akir,  the  site  of  the  ancient  city  of  Ekron.  Baalze- 
bub  was  the  god  of  Ekron  (2  K]ings  1:3).  When 
the  Philistines  captured  the  ark  of  God,  they  took 
it  from  Ebenezer  to  Ashdod  and  placed  it  in  the 
temple  of  Dagon.  After  this  they  sent  it  to  Gath, 
and  from  thence  to  Ekron.  As  a  result  there  was 
great  destruction  of  life  in  the  city,  and  **the  hand 
of  God  was  very  heavy  there"  (1  Samuel  5).  From 
Ekron  the  ark  was  sent  in  a  cart,  drawn  by  two 
milch  kine,  to  Bethshemesh  (1  Samuel  6). 

About  four  miles  beyond  Eikron  we  came  to  the 
hilltop  village  of  El-Mughar,  which  was  Hakkedah, 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


177 


where  five  Amorite  kings  hid  in  a  cave  after  the 
battle  of  Ajalon.  It  was  near  here  that  Joshua 
commanded  the  sun  to  stand  still  while  he  defeated 
these  five  kings  (Josh.  10:8-14).  He  found  them 
and  hanged  them  on  trees,  captured  the  city,  and 
destroyed  its  king  and  people  (Josh  10:20-28). 
It  was  here  that  General  Allenby  encountered  his 
most  determined  resistance  from  the  Turks  in  his 
advancement  to  capture  Jerusalem. 

Just  beyond  this  we  came  to  a  solitary  hill  on 
the  top  of  which  once  stood  the  important  Canaan- 
itish  city  of  Gezer.  Horam,  its  king,  and  all  his 
people  were  slain  by  Joshua  (Josh  10:33).  This 
place  occurs  several  times  in  the  record  of  wars 
between  David  and  the  Philistines.  In  the  World 
War,  the  Turks  had  a  stronghold  here;  but  General 
Allenby 's  troops  charged  up  the  hill  from  the 
south  and  captured  it. 

Our  next  stop  was  at  Junction  Station.  From 
here  we  went  eastward  parallel  with  the  ancient 
highway  from  Ekron  along  which  the  kine  took 
the  ark  to  Bethshemesh.  Now  we  were  in  the 
famous  valley  of  Sorek,  and  many  of  the  scenes 
in  the  lives  of  Samson  and  Delilah  took  place  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood.  Zorah  comes  next, 
the  birthplace  of  Samson.  It  is  located  on  the 
summit  of  a  lofty  hill.  Here  at  this  very  place 
an  angel  of  God  appeared  twice  to  Manoah  and 
his  wife.  At  the  last  appearing,  Manoah  offered 
a  meat-offering  by  fire  on  a  rock,  **and  the  angel 


178  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


did  wondrously^'  and  '^ascended  [to  heaven]  in 
the  flame  of  the  altar"  (Judg.  13:2-21).  ^^And 
the  woman  bare  a  son,  and  called  his  name  Sam- 
son: and  the  child  grew,  and  the  Lord  blessed 
him.  And  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  began  to  move 
him  at  times  in  the  camp  of  Dan  between  Zorah 
and  Eshtaol"  (vs.  24,  25). 

On  another  hilltop,  exactly  opposite  Zorah,  is 
the  village  of  Aines-shems.  This  is  the  site  of 
ancient  Bethshemesh.  Here  is  where  the  kine 
brought  the  ark  of  God  (1  Sam.  6:9-16).  Because 
the  men  of  Bethshemesh  looked  into  the  ark,  the 
Lord  slew  of  their  number  50,070  (1  Sam.  6: 
19,  20). 

The  next  stop  was  Dier  Aban,  the  site  of  Eben- 
ezer.  Here  is  where  the  Philistines  defeated  Israel 
and  captured  the  ark  in  the  days  of  Eli  (1  Sam. 
4:9-18;  5:1).  Later,  when  the  Israelites  defeated 
the  Philistines,  Samuel  set  up  the  stone  of  help," 
which  ^  ^  Ebenezer ' '  means  ( 1  Sam.  7 :3-13 ) .  Beyond 
Ebenezer  we  entered  a  rock  gorge  which  forms 
the  pass  to  the  highlands  near  Jerusalem.  Almost 
as  soon  as  we  entered  this  wild  ravine  there  came 
into  view  a  large  cave  in  the  side  of  a  precipice 
overhanging  the  valley  and  several  hundred  feet 
above.  This  is  the  rock  of  Etam,  in  which  Sam- 
son sought  refuge  from  the  Philistines  (Judg. 
15:8).  It  was  near  here  he  slew  a  thousand  men 
with  the  jaw-bone  of  an  ass  (Judg.  15:8-16). 

From  here  we  entered  the  valley  of  Bitter, 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


179 


Emerging  from  this  we  came  into  the  valley  of 
Kephaim,  where  David  twice  defeated  the  Philis- 
tines. As  we  neared  Jerusalem,  we  met  a  wall 
of  mountains  several  miles  thick,  and  we  ascended 
all  the  time  higher  and  higher.  Two  scriptures 
came  forcibly  to  my  mind  as  we  traveled  along 
this  route.  One  was,  ^^Let  us  go  up  to  Jeru- 
salem." As  you  approach  the  city  from  almost 
any  direction  you  are  going  up.  The  other  text 
is  found  in  Psa.  125:2.  ^*As  the  mountains  are 
round  about  Jerusalem,  so  the  Lord  is  round 
about  his  people  from  henceforth  even  forever. 

Th€  Venerable  City 

There  is  one  city  almost  as  old  as  Thebes,  and 
which  was  ^  Venerable  before  the  foundations  of 
imperial  Rome  were  laid;  with  but  little  beauty 
or  wealth  or  commerce,  high  and  lonely,  a  city 
that  has  again  and  again  been  captured  and  de- 
stroyed, its  site  plowed  and  sown  with  salt  and 
yet  which  has  again  and  again  risen  from  its 
ashes."  For  nearly  four  thousand  years  it  has 
stood  on  the  gray  rocks,  a  strategic  position,  once 
the  capital  of  a  great  nation,  and  today  the  city 
of  reverence  for  all  the  disciples  of  Christ.  That 
city  is  Jerusalem. 

Its  name  is  a  household  word  around  the  world. 
The  prophets  discoursed  upon  this  name,  and  the 
Hebrew  hymn-book,  the  Psalms,  is  sprinkled  full 
of  sparkling  phrases  relative  to  its  glory.  The 


180  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


seers  of  old  predicted  the  glories  of  the  Christian 
church  and  dispensation  under  the  title  and  meta- 
phor of  Jerusalem  and  Zion  ;  and  even  the  golden 
city  to  come,  heaven,  is  denominated  the  **New 
Jerusalem.'^  Jerusalem  has  been  the  theme  of 
more  songs  and  stories  and  sermons  than  has  any 
other  city  in  all  the  world.  No  other  city  has 
such  a  history  as  has  Jerusalem. 

It  was  captured  by  David  in  B.  C.  1049  (2  Sam. 
5:6-9),  and  from  this  time  on  the  kings  of  Judah 
made  it  their  capital  city.  David  extended  its 
wall,  fortified  it  more  strongly,  and  built  himself 
a  palace  on  Mount  Zion;  and  thereafter  it  was 
called  the  ^^city  of  David''  (2  Sam.  5:7-10).  As 
the  psalmist  beheld  the  city  in  its  glory,  he  was 
made  to  exclaim,  Beautiful  for  situation,  the 
joy  of  the  whole  earth,  is  Mount  Zion,  on  the 
sides  of  the  north,  the  city  of  the  great  King'' 
(Psa.  48:2). 

Under  King  Solomon,  Jerusalem  reached  its 
greatest  glory  and  magnificence,  and  was  filled  with 
wealth,  which  gave  it  renown  throughout  the  then- 
known  world.  The  temple  was  built,  and  Jeru- 
salem was  the  *'holy  city"  because  God  placed 
his  name  there. 

When  Christ,  whom  the  Hebrew  prophets  had 
foretold  and  whose  glory  they  extolled,  entered 
Jerusalem,  its  inhabitants,  largely,  rejected  him 
and  his  teaching.  The  Jewish  leaders,  out  of 
envy,  delivered  him  to  the  Romans  for  crudfixion; 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


181 


and  outside  of  Jerusalem's  walls  he  suffered  death 
at  their  hands.  Thus  the  greatest  event  that  ever 
took  place  upon  earth  occurred  at  Jenisalem.  The 
city  of  the  King  of  Glory,  the  place  of  his  sanc- 
tuary and  name,  became  the  spot  of  the  meanest 
tragedy  ever  enacted.  The  sun  hid  his  face  in 
shame,  the  heavens  draped  themselves  in  mourn- 
ing, the  rocks  rent  themselves,  and  calvary  quaked, 
at  the  terrible  scene.  Yes,  Jesus  died  at  Jeru- 
salem. 

At  noon  on  the  eighth  of  December,  1917,  Gen- 
eral Allenby,  commander-in-chief  of  the  British 
armies  operating  in  Palestine,  received  the  sur- 
render of  the  city,  and  on  December  10  made  his 
official  entry  through  Jaffa  Gate.  This  chapter 
in  history  ended  the  Turkish  rule  over  the  Holy 
City.  It,  with  all  Palestine,  is  now  under  the  man- 
date of  Great  Britain.  According  to  the  very 
latest  statistics,  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  num- 
ber about  one  hundred  thousand,  of  whom  nearly 
sixty  thousand  are  Jews. 

Since  childhood  it  had  been  one  of  the  ambitions 
of  my  life  to  visit  Jerusalem.  On  April  8,  at 
10 :40  P.  M.,  our  eyes  caught  the  first  glimpse  of  its 
towers.  The  sacred  feelings  that  crept  over  us  as 
we  neared  the  city  I  can  not  describe  in  words. 
The  railroad  station  is  in  the  new  city,  and  after 
leaving  it  we  approached  the  old  city  along  the 
Bethlehem  road.  This  gave  us  a  commanding 
view  of  the  hill  of  Zion.    We  spent  April  8-13 


182  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 

visiting  places  of  interest  in  and  around  tlie  city 
Those  were  the  greatest  days  of  my  life  up  to  this 
time.    There  were  times  when  we  were  so  over- 
come by  our  feelings  that  it  was  impossible  to 
express  ourselves  in  words. 

Places  of  Interest  Around  Jerusalem 

During  our  stay  at  Jerusalem  we  visited  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher,  the  Jewish  quar- 
ters and  bazaars,  the  Tower  of  David,  David 
Street,  Jaffa  Gate,  the  Jews'  Wailing-place,  the 
Pool  of  Bethesda,  the  Miosque  of  Omar  and  Temple 
Grounds,  Solomon's  Stables,  Calvary  (or  Gol- 
gotha) and  the  Garden  Tomb,  the  Tombs  of  the 
Kings,  Mr.  Samuels'  government  buildings,  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  the 
Valley  of  Kedron,  the  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  the 
Valley  of  Hinnom,  Mount  Zion,  and  the  supposed 
sepulcher  of  David.  As  we  made  a  more  exten- 
sive visit  to  Jerusalem  and  its  environs  in  the 
Spring  of  1923,  I  will  describe  some  of  these  places 
of  interest  further  on. 

Olivet 

I  shall  never  forget  the  day  we  stood  on  the 
brow  of  Olivet  and  with  one  sweep  of  vision  be- 
held a  scene  that  will  linger  in  memory  as  long 
as  we  live.  Looking  eastward,  at  our  feet  was 
Bethany,  the  home  of  Martha,  Mary,  and  Lazarus; 
and  the  place  where  Jesus  ascended  to  heaven 
(Luke  24:51).    Beyond  this,  on  a  hill  in  plain 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


183 


view,  was  Bethpliage,  from  which  Jesus  sent  two 
of  his  disciples  to  find  the  colt  upon  which  he 
triumphantly  entered  the  city  (Matt.  21:1,  2;  Luke 
19:29,  30). 

Next  we  viewed  the  mountains  of  Judea,  and  be- 
yond these  the  ''wilderness  of  Judea";  and  still 
farther  the  Dead  Sea  and  the  plain  of  the  Jordan, 
20  miles  away  and  3,900  feet  below  us,  were  plain- 
ly visible.  Beyond  the  Jordan  Valley  we  could 
distinctly  see  the  plains  and  mountains  of  Moab 
and  farther  north  the  mountains  of  Gilead.  Then, 
as  we  turned  north,  our  eyes  fell  on  Mount  Scopus, 
where  Titus  and  his  Roman  legions  encamped  dur- 
ing the  siege  of  Jerusalem.  Turning  south,  we 
saw,  at  the  mountain's  base,  the  Vlalley  of  Jehosh- 
aphat. 

But  when  we  looked  westward  from  this  sum- 
mit, the  view  eclipsed  all  the  rest.  At  our  feet 
lay  the  Valley  of  Kidron,  and  beyond  this  JERU- 
SALEM, at  one  time  the  "holy  city,"  the  ''city 
of  the  great  King."  Directly  before  us  was  Mount 
Moriah,  the  temple  grounds,  and  the  great  Mosque 
of  Omar.  Beyond  this,  transplendent  in  the  glow- 
ing sun  was  Mount  Zion.  Prom  our  point  of  view 
we  could  see  almost  around  the  wall  of  the  old 
city. 

To  our  right,  extending  from  the  old  walls  far 
towards  Bethlehem,  is  the  new  city,  termed  by 
its  inhabitants  the  "New  Jerusalem."  This  is 
probably  three  times  as  large  as  the  old  city.  It 
is  modern  in  its  buildings,  streets,  etc. 


184  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Jerichoy  the  Dead  Sea,  and  Jordan 

We  took  this  trip  on  April  9.  There  is  a  fine 
automobile  highway  of  crushed  limestone  the  Whole 
distance.  The  new  road  lies,  for  the  most  part, 
along  the  same  route  the  multitudes  traveled  to 
John's  baptism,  and  over  which  Jesus  and  his 
disciples  often  walked.  We  were  conscious  that 
these  very  hills  were  the  same.  The  distance  of 
the  round  trip  is  fifty  miles.  As  we  left  Jeru- 
salem, we  passed  Damascus  Gate  on  the  right  and 
Jeremiah's  Grrotto  on  the  left,  and  crossed  the 
brook  Kidron,  in  the  Vialley  of  Jehoshaphat,  and 
passed  the  tomb  of  Mary,  the  tomb  of  Absalom, 
and  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane.  Our  road  lay 
around  the  southern  base  of  the  Mount  of  Olives 
to  Bethany.  From  here  there  is  a  steep  descent 
to  the  Apostle's  Spring.  Ten  miles  farther  we 
stopped  at  the  Good  Samaritan's  Inn.  We  remain- 
ed here  an  hour  or  more,  climbing  the  hills,  pick- 
ing flowers,  and  enjoying  the  scenery. 

Prom  this  point  we  descended  into  the  Wilder- 
ness of  Judea.  Part  of  this  section  is  very  pic- 
turesque, especially  the  deep  gorge  along  which 
runs  the  brook  of  Cherith,  where  Elijah  hid  from 
Ahab  and  was  fed  by  ravens.  Just  beyond  this, 
suddenly  the  great  plain  of  the  Jordan  came  into 
full  view,  spread  out  like  a  garden  at  our  feet. 
Winding  through  its  length  is  the  dark  green  rib- 
bon of  the  river  jungle.  To  our  right  lay  the 
Dead  Sea,  and  beyond  it  the  plains  and  mountains 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


185 


of  Moab,  the  highest  peaks  being  Nebo  and  Pisga, 
from  which  Moses  viewed  the  Promised  Land. 
Directly  before  us  was  Jericho.  To  our  left  was 
the  wilderness  into  which  Christ  was  led  to  be 
tempted  after  his  baptism,  and  across  the  Jordan 
were  the  beautiful  mountains  of  Grilead.  How 
our  eyes  feasted  upon  these  historical  places! 

We  first  visited  the  ancient  ruins  of  Jericho 
which  have  just  recently  been  excavated.  Here 
we  took  many  interesting  photographs  of  the  walls 
and  houses  that  fell  in  the  days  of  eloshua.  We 
also  visited  Elisha's  Fountain,  where  the  waters 
were  healed  by  the  prophet.  Nothing  remains 
of  the  Jericho  of  Christ  ^s  time.  The  site  is  near 
where  the  brook  Cherith  empties  into  the  plain. 
The  present  town  is  beautifully  located,  but  the 
town  itself  is  not  attractive.  It  lies  about  half 
way  between  the  city  of  Joshua's  time  and  its  site 
of  our  Lord's  time.  A  fine  modern  hotel,  Bel- 
view,"  has  been  erected,  and  this,  with  the  Jor- 
dan Hotel,  makes  the  place  very  agreeable  to 
tourists. 

After  lunch  we  went  direct  to  the  Dead  Sea. 
This  is  said  to  be  the  lowest  spot  on  the  surface 
of  the  earth,  being  1,290  feet  below  the  Mediter- 
ranean. Our  route  took  us  over  the  supposed 
site  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah.  What  solemn,  aw^ 
ful  thoughts  flashed  through  our  minds  as  we 
stopped  and  walked  around  over  the  place  where 
God  rained  fire  and  brimstone  from  heaven!  As 


186  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


we  looked  west,  there  was  the  mountain  to  which 
i^ot  and  his  daughters  fled.  Between  where  we 
stood  and  this  mountain,  Lot's  wife  looked  back 
and  became  "a  pillar  of  salt."  Jesus  said,  ''Re- 
member Lot's  wife." 

But  we  could  not  tarry  here  long.  We  were 
soon  at  the  shore  of  the  Sea,  where  we  remained 
for  more  than  an  hour.  We  found  a  number  of 
the  most  beautiful  shells  on  the  shore.  From  here 
we  went  north  about  six  miles  to  the  place  of  the 
Jordan  where  the  children  of  Israel  are  supposed 
to  have  crossed  into  the  Promised  Land,  and  where 
John  baptized  the  Lord.  From  our  childhood  we 
have  heard  about  Jordan.  Mother  read  me  stories 
concerning  it,  the  Sunday-school  teachers  enlarged 
upon  it;  also,  the  preachers  made  it  the  subject- 
matter  of  many  a  sermon.  I  myself  have  preach- 
ed about  Jordan,  and  have  sung  many  inspiring 
hymns  about  it.  Most  of  us  have  sung  the  old 
hymn,  ''On  Jordan's  stormy  banks  I  stand." 
About  thirty  years  ago  I  crossed  the  antitypical 
Jordan  into  the  Canaan-land  of  perfect  holiness. 
How  many  times  I  have  longed  for  the  oppor- 
tunity to  stand  on  the  banks  of  the  real  Jordan! 

What  a  thrill  of  satisfaction  and  joy  flowed 
through  our  hearts  when  we  at  last  stood  at  the 
water's  edge  at  this  historical  spot!  We  secured 
a  boat  and  took  a  ride  for  some  distance  up  the 
stream.  Yes,  this  is  the  river  where  John  baptized 
the  multitudes,  and  where  Jesus  our  Master  was 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


187 


buried  in  the  symbolic  grave !  But,  after  all,  there 
is  nothing  attractive  about  the  place  were  it  not 
for  its  historical  associations.  I  would  say  with 
Naaman,  the  Syrian  leper,  "  'Are  not  the  waters 
and  rivers  of  Damascus/  better  than  this  muddy 
Jordan!"  As  we  stood  among  the  waving  reeds 
and  rushes,  I  thought  of  the  words  of  Jesus  con- 
cerning John,  ''What  went  ye  out  ...  to  see?  A 
reed  shaken  with  the  wind?"  On  April  2,  1923, 
we  again  visited  all  these  places,  and  spent  more 
time  investigating  the  surroundings. 

Bethany 

Bethany  is  a  small  village  about  two  miles  from 
Jerusalem,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives. 
This  was  the  home  of  Martha,  Mary,  and  Lazarus. 
Jesus  frequently  stopped  here.  In  this  town  Simon 
the  leper  made  a  feast  for  Jesus,  and  a  certain 
woman  anointed  him  with  ointment,  and  Jesus 
commended  her  by  saying,  "She  hath  done  what 
she  could"  (Mark  14:3-9).  One  of  the  most  noted 
miracles  of  Christ's  ministry  took  place  here — 
the  raising  of  Lazarus  from  the  dead  (John  11). 
The  ascension  of  Christ  took  place  at  Bethany 
(Luke  24:50,  51). 

On  April  10  our  company  spent  some  time  here. 
Among  the  places  of  interest,  we  visited  the  tomb 
of  Lazarus,  the  remains  of  the  house  of  Martha 
and  Mary,  and  the  ruins  of  the  home  of  Simon 
the  leper.  On  March  30,  1923,  we  again  visited 
Bethany. 


188  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Bethlehem 

Of  all  the  places  on  earth  that  are  held  sacred 
in  the  Christian's  memory,  I  think  Bethlehem 
holds  first  rank.  Here  Eachel  died  and  was  buried. 
At  this  place  Euth  gleaned  in  the  harvest-field  of 
Boaz,  and  later  married  Boaz;  and  here  David 
was  bom.  This  was  David's  home  town,  hence 
is  called  the  *^City  of  David."  Joab,  Asahel,  and 
Abishai  lived  here.  But,  above  all,  Bethlehem 
was  the  birthplace  of  the  Savior.  Here  the  shep- 
herds heard  the  announcement  from  the  angel  of 
the  Lord,  Behold,  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of 
great  joy,  which  shall  be  to  all  people.  For  unto 
you  is  bom  this  day  in  the  city  of  David  a  Savior, 
which  is  Christ  the  Lord."  Here  they  heard  the 
heavenly  hosts  sing  that  blessed  paBan,  Glory  to 
God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will 
toward  men." 

On  April  11  we  passed  out  of  Jaffa  Gate,  on 
the  Bethlehem  road,  for  the  little  city  of  sacred 
story.  The  distance  is  about  six  miles,  and  the 
country  picturesque  all  the  way.  The  hills  are 
mostly  covered  with  olive-groves  and  fruit  or- 
chards. The  farms  are  surrounded  with  well-built 
stone  fences.  In  about  half  an  hour  we  came  to  a 
place  of  eminence,  and  here  a  most  splendid  view 
met  our  gaze.  To  our  right  lay  the  town  of  Betjata, 
where  Saul  found  his  father's  asses.  Directly  be- 
fore us,  about  one  mile  distant,  was  Bethlehem, 
with  all  the  picturesque  hills  with  which  it  is 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


189 


surrounded.  To  our  left  in  plain  view  was  the 
field  of  Boaz,  and  the  orchard  where  the  angel 
announced  to  the  Shepherd  that  a  Savior  was 
born.  Yes,  these  are  the  very  hills  where  David 
used  to  roam,  and  watch  his  father  ^s  sheep.  Here 
he  played  his  harp  and  sang  many  of  the  psalms 
that  made  up  the  Old  Testament  hymn-book.  Yes, 
this  is  Bethlehem! 

We  stopped  on  the  way  to  RachePs  tomb. 
Bethlehem  at  present  has  about  eight  thousand 
people.  The  town  itself,  with  its  narrow  streets, 
is  not  very  attractive,  but  the  surrounding  coun- 
try is  very  scenic.  The  leading  place  \\^hich  at- 
tracted our  attention  most  was  the  Church  of  the 
Nativity,  which  is  erected  over  the  traditional  site 
of  the  birthplace  of  Christ.  In  327  A.  D.  the 
Empress  Helena  erected  the  Church  of  the  Nativ- 
ity. It  is  a  very  plain  structure.  By  descending 
two  flights  of  stairs  we  were  admitted  into  the 
Chapel  of  Nativity.  Here  were  pointed  out  to 
us  the  place  of  birth,  and  the  manger  in  which 
Christ  is  supposed  to  have  lain. 

In  the  same  under-structure  we  were  shown  also 
the  tomb  of  Saint  Jerome,  the  great  Latin  church 
father,  who  died  in  Bethlehem  420  A.  D.  We  also 
saw  the  Chapel  of  Saint  Jerome.  Here  he  lived 
and  wrote  his  works.  We  also  visited  David's 
Well,  or  the  *^well  of  Bethlehem, mentioned  in 
the  Bible  (2  Sam.  23:13-17;  1  Chron.  11:15-19). 
We  were  loath  to  leave  this  little  city,  so  fraught 


190  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


with  sacred  memories.  It  was  our  happy  privi- 
lege, on  April  3,  1923,  to  spend  the  entire  day 
visiting  in  Bethlehem  and  climbing  the  hills  sur- 
rounding the  place. 

Hebron 

Hebron  lies  about  fifteen  English  miles  south  of 
Bethlehem.  The  country  is  very  mountainous,  rocky, 
and  picturesque.  It  seemed  that  every  foot  of 
land  between  the  rocks,  that  could  be  tilled,  was 
growing  grain  of  some  kind,  or  was  planted  in 
vineyards.  About  two  miles  beyond  Bethlehem 
are  the  Pools  of  Solomon.  These  have  been 
cleaned  out,  and  are  now  filled  with  pure  water. 
There  is  a  large  pump-station  here  pumping  water 
to  supply  Jerusalem.  Below  the  pools  are  the 
Gardens  of  Solomon.    These  we  also  visited. 

Our  next  stop  was  Philip's  Fountain,  claimed  to 
be  the  place  where  Philip  baptized  the  eunuch. 
I  took  a  photograph  to  convince  modern  folk  that 
there  was  water  enough  to  immerse  in. 

Beyond  this  pool  where  Philip  baptized  the 
eunuch  we  passed  Betzala,  where  Saul  and  his 
three  sons  are  said  to  be  interred.  Next  we 
passed  through  the  valley  of  Berachah  (Bless- 
ing). Here  occurred  the  wonderful  battle  between 
Jehoshaphat  and  the  children  of  Ammon  and  Moab 
(2  Chronicles  20).  After  this  we  reached  the  plain 
of  Mamre.''  Abraham  removed  his  tent,  and  came 
and  dw^lt  in  the  plain  of  Mamre,  which  is  in 
Hebron,  and  built  there  an  altar  unto  the  Lord 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


191 


(Gen  13:18).  From  this  plain  our  road  led  to 
the  top  of  a  high  hill,  and  there  before  us  was 
Hebron,  which  vies  with  Damascus  as  being  the 
oldest  city  in  the  world. 

Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  spent  much  of  their 
lifetime  here.  When  the  Promised  Land  was 
divided  between  the  Israelites,  Hebron  was  given 
to  Caleb.  When  David  became  king  of  Judah,  he 
established  his  capital  in  this  city,  and  reigned 
here  for  seven  and  a  half  years.  The  patriarchs 
are  buried  here,  in  the  cave  of  Machpelah.  The 
cave  is  still  there,  covered  with  a  mosque,  and 
this  forms  the  principal  object  of  interest  in  the 
city.  Visitors  are  now  admitted  into  the  mosque, 
and  through  an  opening  in  the  floor  are  permitted 
to  look  down  into  the  cave  itself,  but  no  one  is 
allowed  to  enter  the  cave. 

A  little  distance  from  the  city  stands  the  largest 
and  oldest  oak  in  Palestine.  A  visit  to  this  tree 
will  convince  any  one  that  it  is  a  very  ancient 
tree.  It  is  claimed  to  be  the  identical  one  under 
which  Abraham  pitched  his  tent,  and  where  he 
resided  at  the  time  the  angels  visited  him  and 
apprized  him  of  the  destruction  of  Sodom.  We 
took  several  good  photographs  of  the  tree  and 
surroundings. 

Nazareth 

As  we  later  visited  and  held  meetings  in  both 
Nazareth  and  Cana  of  Galilee,  I  will  here  make 
but  very  brief  mention  of  them.    On  April  13  we 


192  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


left  Jerusalem  by  train  for  Haifa.  We  left  our 
baggage  at  Haifa,  and  went  by  automobile  to 
Nazareth.  There  is  a  fine  automobile-road  all  the 
way  from  Haifa  to  Tiberias.  Our  route  took  us 
for  eight  miles  along  the  base  of  Mount  Carmel, 
then  we  crossed  the  brook  Kishon  at  the  place 
where  it  is  claimed  that  the  four  hundred  priests 
of  Baal  were  slain  in  the  days  of  Elijah.  We  also 
passed  along  the  plains  of  Acre  and  Esdraelon, 
famous  in  Israel's  history  for  great  battles  fought. 
We  spent  two  nights  and  a  day  in  the  boyhood 
home  of  Jesus.  We  visited  about  every  place  of 
interest.  And  we  climbed  the  high  mountain  on 
which  the  city  is  built;  from  here  we  had  a  splen- 
did view  as  far  as  eye  could  see  in  every  direction. 

Sea  af  Galilee 

We  left  Nazareth  early  April  15  for  Tiberias. 
The  first  place  we  came  to  was  Meshed,  Grath- 
Hepher,  on  the  borders  of  Zebulun,  where  Jonah 
the  prophet  was  born.  The  tomb  of  Jonah  is  here 
also.  After  this  we  came  to  Cana  of  Galilee.  This 
was  the  home  of  Nathanael  (John  21:2)  and  the 
place  of  Christ's  first  miracle,  where  he  turned  the 
water  into  wine  at  a  wedding-feast.  Here  later 
he  healed  the  nobleman's  son.  We  stopped  and 
drank  of  the  fountain  from  which  the  water  that 
was  converted  into  wine  was  taken.  We  also 
visited  the  site  where  the  first  miracle  was  per- 
formed, and  the  house  of  Nathaniel. 


EASTWARD  BOUND 


193 


Farther  on  we  came  to  the  Horns  of  Hattin, 
or  the  Mount  of  Beatitudes,  where  Jesus  delivered 
the  memorable  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  recorded  in 
Matthew  5—7.  After  this  we  passed  the  place 
where  Christ  miraculously  fed  the  five  thousand. 
Then  suddenly  Galilee  burst  upon  our  vision,  a 
beautiful  lake  a  thousand  feet  below  us.  We 
rapidly  descended  and  were  soon  at  Tiberias.  In 
the  afternoon  we  secured  a  motor-launch  and  went 
across  the  lake  to  Capernaum.  We  remained  here 
for  some  time,  and  visited  every  place  of  interest. 
Next  we  went  to  Bethsaida,  and  then  to  the  plain 
of  Gennesaret.  As  we  crossed  the  beautiful  Genne- 
saret  Lake  we  sang  the  old  hymn  ^'Galilee."  Our 
next  stop  was  at  Magdala,  where  we  spent  an  hour 
picking  up  sea-shells,  which  lay  on  the  shore  in 
great  abundance. 

At  night  we  secured  a  boatman,  and  in  the  beau- 
tiful moonlight  spent  more  than  an  hour  on  this 
still,  calm  lake.  We  sang  many  familiar  hymns. 
The  memories  of  that  night  will  never  perish 
from  our  minds.  It  has  been  our  happy  privilege  to 
visit  the  Sea  of  Galilee  twice  since.  On  April  16  we 
left  by  a  different  route  for  Haifa.  We  followed 
the  Jordan  Eiver  south  as  far  as  Bethabara,  and 
then  leaving  the  Jordan  Yalley  we  came  to  Beth- 
shan.  Here  we  entered  the  plain  of  Jezreel  and 
followed  it  westward  the  entire  length  along  the 
base  of  Mount  Gilboa  to  the  city  of  Jezreel,  where 
we  entered  the  great  and  fertile  plain  of  Esdraelon, 


194 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


which  stretches  across  central  Palestine  to  Mount 
Carmel  and  the  Mediterranean.  Onr  route  took 
us  through  the  whole  length  of  this  fertile  valley, 
the  great  battle-field  of  ages. 

Haifa  and  Mount  Carmel 

We  arrived  at  Haifa  about  noon.  This  is  the 
most  important  seaport  town  in  Palestine.  It  is 
growing  very  rapidly.  Several  new  Jewish  additions 
are  being  built  along  the  sides  of  CaiTQel,  and 
some  important  enterprises  have  lately  been  estab- 
lished. Notable  among  these  is  the  new  flour-mill 
costing  $250,000  of  which  Baron  Rothschild  gave 
$100,000.  Without  doubt  Haifa  is  destined  to  be- 
come a  great  market-center. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  up  on  Mount  Carmel. 
Here  Elijah  prayed  for  rain,  and  here  the  fire 
fell  upon  the  altar  of  the  Lord,  and  the  priests  of 
Baal  were  confounded.  Having  a  card  of  intro- 
duction, we  visited  Abdul  Bahai,  the  Persian 
prophet,  who  is  said  to  have  twelve  million  follow- 
ers the  world  over.  Having  heard  so  much  of 
this  man  in  America,  we  were  surprized  to  find 
that  but  few  in  Haifa  seemed  to  know  him.  We 
inquired  for  some  time  before  we  found  any  one 
who  knew  him,  and  could  direct  us  to  his  resi- 
dence. He  received  us  kindly  and  gave  us  tea, 
and  some  beautiful  flowers  from  his  gardens.  At 
6:30  P.  M.  we  were  on  board  the  SS.  Borulos  en 
route  for  Beirut. 


ON  THE 
MISSION  FIELD  IN  SYRIA 
AND  THE  HOLY  LAND 


o 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  IN  SYRIA  AND 
THE  HOLY  LAND 

OUR  ARRIVAL  AT  BEIRUT 

At  5 :30  A.  M.,  April  17,  the  snow-covered  moun- 
tains of  Lebanon  appeared.  In  another  hour  we 
were  in  sight  of  Beirut.  A  thrill  of  joy  filled  our 
hearts  to  know  that  we  had  reached  our  destination 
in  safety.  After  nineteen  weeks  of  travel  on  land 
and  sea,  what  a  satisfaction  to  sail  into  the  har- 
bor of  the  city  which  is  to  be  our  home  and  the 
center  of  our  activities! 

As  we  were  leaving  the  ship  in  a  small  boat 
which  was  crowded  in  among  a  dozen  or  more  of 
others,  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  a  boat  with  a 
happy  crew  waving  their  hands  and  extending  wel- 
come-greetings came  beside  us.  It  was  Sisters 
Nellie  Laughlin  and  Adele  Jureidini,  and  a  num- 
ber of  others  of  the  church  at  that  place.  We 
could  not  restrain  our  tears  of  joy.  After  passing 
the  customs  officer,  we  were  soon  at  home  among 
a  joyous  crowd  of  happy  saints  with  as  warm 
hearts  as  we  ever  met.  Seated  in  our  rockers 
shipped  from  Akron,  Ind.,  and  surrounded  with 
a  number  of  our  things  from  America,  we  felt 
'perfectly  at  home. 

As  this  was  Sunday,  there  were  two  services. 
Sister  Laughlin  preached  at  10:30  A.   M.,  and 

197 


198 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Adele  Jureidini  at  4  P.  M.  I  gave  a  short  out- 
line of  our  trip,  and  recounted  some  of  the  bless- 
ings of  the  Lord  we  received  along  the  way.  As 
the  church  were  all  present,  it  was  a  time  of  get- 
ting acquainted  all  around.  The  same  night  Beirut 
experienced  two  slight  earthquake-shocks.  On 
April  20,  just  three  days  after  our  arrival,  about 
5  P.  M.,  as  Sister  Laughlin  and  I  were  sitting  in 
the  library  writing,  there  was  an  earthquake- shock 
that  rocked  our  house  until  the  windows  rattled 
and  the  plaster  began  to  fall  off  the  walls.  This 
was  a  new  experience  to  us.  People  throughout 
the  city  fled  out  of  their  houses,  and  many  slept 
outside  for  a  few  nights.  This,  however,  was  the 
extent  of  our  experience  with  earthquake- shocks 
during  our  stay  in  Syria. 

OUR  NEW  FiELD  OF  LABOR 

Syria  originally  was  that  stretch  of  country  ly- 
ing along  the  east  end  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea, 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Amanus  and  Taurus 
Mountains,  on  the  east  by  the  Euphrates  River 
and  the  Arabian  Desert,  on  the  south  by  Palestine, 
and  on  the  west  by  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  For 
a  time  before  the  World  War  the  whole  of  Pales- 
tine was  included  in  Syria.  But  since  the  War, 
that  part  of  the  Holy  Land  lying  south  of  Damas- 
cus and  Tyre,  extending  to  the  Sinai  Peninsula, 
has  been  placed  under  British  mandate  as  a 
separate  state.    The  part  north  of  this  boundary. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  199 


including  Tyre  and  Damascus,  was  placed  under 
French  mandate.  It  has  now  practically  its  origin- 
al boundaries.  It  is  about  300  miles  long  from 
north  to  south,  and  from  30  to  150  miles  broad, 
and  contains  an  area  of  30,000  square  miles. 

Lately  the  French  have  separated  Syria  into 
two  sections  known  as  Syria  and  Greater  Lebanon. 
O'f  the  latter,  Beirut  is  the  capital.  The  principal 
cities  of  Syria  and  their  population  are:  Damascus, 
300,000;  Beirut,  210,000;  Aleppo  200,000;  Tripoli, 
48,000;  Antioch,  30,000;  and  Sidon  18,000.  The 
entire  country  is  covered  with  hundreds  of  towns 
and  villages. 

The  religion  of  Syria  is  Mohammedan,  Druse, 
Greek  or  Orthodox  Catholic,  Roman  Catholic,  and 
Maronite,  the  Mohammedans  having  far  the  greater 
number  of  adherents.  The  Presbyterians  and  Con- 
gi'egationalists  are  the  only  Protestant  bodies  of 
note  in  Syria.  Almost  all  the  people  are  re- 
ligious. It  is  hard  to  find  any  one  without  re- 
ligion of  some  kind;  and  usually  each  is  devoted 
to  his  religion.  They  are  trained  into  it  from 
childhood.  About  every  day  hundreds  of  boys 
and  young  men  marched  up  the  street  past  our 
house  in  the  charge  of  black-robed  Greek  or  Roman 
priests.  All  schools  are  church  schools,  and  all 
students  must  perform  the  rites  of  the  church 
whose  school  they  attend.  The  Mohammedans  have 
their  mosques  scattered  everywhere,  and  at  cer- 
tain hours  these  places  are  crowded  with  devotees, 


200  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


who  first  remove  their  sandals  and  wash  their 
faces,  hands,  and  feet,  then  fall  on  their  faces  in 
prayer.  I  have  visited  several  of  these  places, 
and  it  is  intensely  interesting  to  see  their  religious 
rites  and  ablutions.  If  members  of  the  church  of 
God  were  half  as  diligent  and  devotional  as  these 
people,  they  would  be  a  great  power  on  earth. 

For  long  centuries  the  priests  have  held  the 
people  fast  with  the  idea  that  ^^this  is  the  Bible 
land  where  the  Bible  was  written,  and  we  were 
here  first,  hence  our  religion  is  the  true  religion. 
To  break  away  from  some  of  these  old  churches 
is  regarded  by  the  people  as  a  step  toward  infidel- 
ity or  paganism.  It  generally  means  much  per- 
secution from  relatives,  the  community,  and  the 
religious  body  left. 

A  great  variety  of  manners,  customs,  garbs,  and 
dialects,  are  to  be  seen  and  heard  in  Beirut.  A 
trip  down  to  the  business  section  is  interesting. 
There  are  a  few  modern  department  stores,  the 
same  as  can  be  found  in  American  cities.  These 
are  in  charge  of  English-speaking  people,  and  have 
a  standard  price  for  their  goods.  Then,  hundreds 
of  native  shops  line  the  streets.  These  are  gener- 
ally small,  and  the  entire  front  is  open  (doors  to 
cover  the  w^hole  open  front  drop  down  at  night 
and  are  locked).  The  customers  stand  in  the  street 
and  the  proprietor  and  clerks  in  the  shop.  If  we 
are  at  a  market,  we  begin  something  like  this, 
"Ine-dek  looby''  (^^Have  you  string-beans T').  If 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


201 


they  have,  the  proprietor  answers,  ^'Ine-de.  Iddesh 
betreed"  have.  How  many  will  you  haveT'). 
We  reply,  ''Beddee  et-nain  nusrottle''  ("I  want 
a  half  rottle.").  At  this  stage  the  real  interest 
begins.  These  natives  ask  at  least  a  third  naore 
than  they  expect  to  get.  About  the  time  you  ask 
the  price,  they  say,  Trash  erch''  (twelve  piasters), 
which  equals  twenty  cents  in  American  money. 
We  offer  them  five  piasters.  After  about  five 
minutes  parleying  we  get  the  beans  for  eight 
piasters,  or  thirteen  cents.  We  learned  how  to 
buy  as  the  natives  do,  but  I  confess  I  do  not  like 
the  method.  Very  few  stores  have  standard  prices. 

Then,  many  of  the  streets  are  lined  with  shops, 
where  are  made  shoes,  clothes,  tinware,  and  many 
of  the  goods  that  are  sold  in  the  general  stores. 
Mats  are  spread  right  on  the  ground,  and  on  these 
you  will  see  people— men  and  women— sitting  flat, 
making  bedquilts,  doing  fancy-work,  etc. 

As  you  walk  along  the  streets  you  meet  hun- 
dreds of  Mohammedan  men  with  long  flowing 
robes,  and  women  veiled  in  black,  no  part  of  the 
face  being  visible.  You  also  meet  Druse  men, 
with  their  peculiar  trousers  hanging  loose  almost 
to  the  ground.  You  see  a  good  mixture  of  Arabs 
in  distinct  garb;  their  women,  with  faces  tattooed 
in  green  and  red,  wear  short  dresses  about  to  the 
knees  and  long  bloomers  of  many  colors  to  the 
ankles.  You  also  see  the  native  Syrian,  dressed 
much  like  an  American,  except  that  his  hat  is  a 


202 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


red  tarboosh.  Scattered  among  this  motley  crowd 
are  seen  a  good  representation  of  French  sol- 
diers, and  English  and  Americans  in  our  garb. 

Many  streets  are  crowded  with  donkeys,  some 
with  a  small  haystack  on  their  backs,  others  with 
baskets,  jugs,  wood,  etc.  Then  camels  often  march 
up  the  sidewalk  with  an  enormous  load  on  their 
backs. 

Beirut  is  a  very  ancient  city.  Some  authorities 
indentify  it  with  the  Berothai  of  2  Sam.  8:8,  and 
Berothah  of  Ezek.  47:16.  Its  classical  name  in 
olden  times  was  Beirytus.  Philip  Schaff  places 
it  on  his  map  of  Syria  in  the  days  of  David  and 
Solomon.  It  was  the  seat  of  a  famous  school  of 
jurisprudence  from  the  third  to  the  middle  of 
the  sixth  century  A.  D.  The  city  having  been  de- 
stroyed by  an  earthquake  in  551  A.  D.,  the  school 
was  removed  to  Sidon.  The  city  suffered  severely 
during  the  crusades,  and,  having  been  taken  by  the 
Saracens,  was  wrested  from  them  by  Baldwin  in 
1110.  The  Saracens,  however,  regained  possession 
in  1187.  Ibrahim  Pasha  seized  it  in  1832;  and  it 
was  bombarded  by  the  combined  fleets  of  England 
and  Turkey  in  1840  and,  being  captured,  was  re- 
stored to  the  Porte.  Until  the  French  took  the 
mandate  after  the  World  War,  it  was  under  Turk- 
ish and  Moslem  rule.  It  has  railroad  connections 
with  Damascus,  Homs,  Aleppo,  and  the  north. 
There  are  good  automobile  highways  to  Damascus 
and  many  other  cities  east,  to  Tripoli,  Tartoose, 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


203 


Ladochea,  aiid  many  other  coast  cities  north,  and 
to  Jerusalem  by  way  of  Sidon,  Tyre,  Haifa,  Naz- 
areth, and  Nahlus,  south.  On  inquiry  I  find  there 
are  over  two  thousand  automobiles  of  almost  every 
make,  English,  French,  German,  and  American,  in 
use  in  this  city.  There  are  also  scores  of  large 
autotrucks,  mostly  used  by  the  French.  Fine 
automobile-roads  are  being  completed  in  almost 
every  direction,  even  into  the  interior.  Many  vil- 
lages that  I  visited  by  mule  and  donkey  in  the 
spring  of  1922,  can  now  be  reached  by  automobile. 
Such  are  some  of  the  changes  now  going  on. 

The  streets  of  Beirut  are  being  altered  and  im- 
proved, and  the  water-  and  sewer-system  made 
strictly  modem.  Boats  arrive  and  leave  almost 
daily  for  distant  ports,  some  direct  to  New  York, 
others  to  European  and  South-American  ports. 
Beirut  is  well  blessed  with  schools  and  universities. 
About  three  minutes'  walk  from  the  house  in 
which  we  lived  is  the  American  university,  the 
largest  in  the  Near  East.  About  one  thousand 
boy  students  attend  here  each  year.  Ther^  is  also  a 
very  large  American  school  for  girls.  There  is 
an  American  faculty-school,  attended  by  American 
children  only,  and  having  American  teachers.  There 
is  a  good  tram-car  system  in  the  city. 

It  is  said  that  the  imports  into  Beirut  from  the 
United  States  exceed  those  from  any  other  country. 
This  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  practically  all 
the  sewing  machines,  the  large  bulk  of  automo- 


204  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


biles,  and  nearly  all  the  petroleum,  benzine,  and 
oils  come  from  America.  At  the  present  time  al- 
most all  kinds  of  goods  are  entering  from  the 
United  States.  Thus  American  missionaries  can 
live  there  much  as  they  do  at  home. 

Beirut  is  the  ideal  city  for  the  headquarters  of 
our  work  in  the  Near  East,  as  it  pertains  to  Syria 
and  Palestine.  Our  strongest  church  in  this  sec- 
tion is  located  here,  and  its  good  connections  by 
rail  and  automobile  to  all  parts  of  this  field  make 
it  the  logical  center  for  future  operations.  A  fine, 
new  automobile  highway  is  being  completed  from 
Beirut,  by  way  of  Damascus,  across  the  Syrian 
Desert  to  Bagdad  and  the  whole  country  of  Meso- 
potamia. 


THE  COMMENDABLE  WORK  WE  FOUND 

The  success  of  any  work  depends  upon  the 
foundation  that  has  been  laid.  To  begin  with. 
Brother  and  Sister  F.  G.  Smith  planted  in  this 
country  the  work  of  the  present  reformation.  They 
remained  here  almost  two  years,  with  headquarters 
in  Schweifat.  Brother  Smith  preached  much  along 
doctrinal  lines,  and  this  established  the  truth  in 
a  number  of  hearts.  Those  who  believed  were 
reliable.  Later  Sisters  Laughlin  and  Hittle  con- 
tinued the  work.  After  Sister  Hittle  returned  to 
America,  Sister  Laughlin  remained  stedfast  at  her 
post  during  the  trying  World  War  period.  Too 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


205 


much  can  not  be  said  in  favor  of  this  noble  woman, 
and  the  sacrifices  that  she  made  in  behalf  of  the 
work  in  Syria.  I  am  confident  that  if  she  had 
not  stood  by  the  work  during  those  critical  years, 
it  \^ould  have  become  scattered,  and  today  there 
would  be  little  to  show  for  all  the  past  effort.  She 
was  ably  assisted  by  Adele  Jureidini. 

When  we  arrived,  the  work  was  established  in 
Beirut.  Sister  Laughlin  exercised  exceptionally 
good  judgment  in  making  this  city  the  headquar- 
ters of  the  work,  instead  of  some  small  mountain 
village.  The  home  where  the  missionaries  lived 
contained  a  large  '^dar/[  which  was  used  for  the 
chapel.  It,  with  the  parlor,  could  be  made  to  seat 
almost  one  hundred  people.  The  church  was 
small,  about  twenty  in  number;  but  they  were 
among  the  best  class  of  people  in  the  city— mer- 
chants, tailors,  cabinet-makers,  teachers,  nurses,  and 
dressmakers.  Most  of  them  were  educated  and  cap- 
able of  filling  places  of  responsibility. 

Last,  but  not  least,  the  congregation  was  clean. 
The  church  was  not  a  mixture  of  saved  and  un- 
saved; we  found  them  all  very  devout  Christians. 
They  were  not  so  demonstrative  as  we  are  accus- 
tomed to  seeing  people  in  Ajnerica;  but  a  more 
tender-hearted  and  warm-souled  company  we  never 
met.  They  gave  us  a  mighty  impetus  to  go  to 
work  in  earnest  to  help  evangelize  Syria. 


206 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


GETTING  ADJUSTED  TO  NEW  CONDITIONS 

Adjusting  himself  to  conditions  is  no  small  item 
in  the  work  of  a  missionary  on  a  new  field.  When 
we  came  to  this  andent  land,  almost  everything 
was  new  and  strange  to  us— customs,  manners, 
foods,  dress,  and  languages.  I  had  read  up  very 
thoroughly  along  these  lines;  but  I  found  that  it 
takes  actual  contact  and  experience  properly  to 
adapt  ourselves  to  circumstances  to  which  we  have 
not  been  accustomed.  It  was  several  months  be- 
fore I  could  take  hold  of  matters  and  act  perfectly 
natural. 

The  first  year  our  congregation  was  made  up 
of  about  an  equal  number  of  Syrians  and  Armen- 
ians. This  required  double  interpretation.  In 
each  Sunday-morning  service  two  interpreters 
stood  beside  me,  an  Armenian  on  the  right—  Mrs. 
(Dr.)  Hadidian— and  a  Syrian  on  the  left— Adele 
Jureidini.  For  a  person  who  thinks  and  speaks  as 
rapidly  as  I  had  been  accustomed  to  doing,  to 
stand  and  wait  between  sentences  on  two  inter- 
preters giving  the  meaning  in  their  native  tongue 
requires  some  adjustment  to  circumstances  on  his 
part.  But  it  w^as  really  wonderful  how  the  Lord 
helped  me.  After  a  few  services,  I  was  able  to 
preach  with  the  same  power  and  enthusiasm  as 
before.  I  could  easily  in  an  hour's  time  cover  the 
same  sermon  outline  I  had  used  in  America.  I 
learned  to  say  more  in  fewer  words. 

The  manner  of  conducting  meetings  differed 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


207 


from  our  Western  methods.  We  were  accustomed 
to  loud  demonstrations  in  our  services;  but  such  a 
thing  is  unknown  in  Syria.  To  display  emotion 
as  we  do  in  the  United  States,  a  person  would  be 
considered  a  fool,  and  would  have  no  influence 
whatever  with  the  people,  especially  with  the 
Armenians.  They  enter  the  place  of  worship  with 
sacred  feelings,  walk  quietly  to  their  seats,  en- 
gage in  a  season  of  silent  prayer,  then  sit  during 
the  sermon  in  silent  devotion.  There  is  not  an 
audible  '^amen"  to  be  heard  during  prayer  or 
preaching.  After  the  benediction,  the  Armenians 
sit  down  quietly  and  pray  for  a  few  moments, 
then  walk  out.  I  tried  to  change  them;  but  I  gave 
it  up.  These  Easterners  do  not  change  their 
methods  and  customs  overnight.  I  found  it  best 
to  adjust  ourselves  to  their  customs. 

The  language  was  our  greatest  difficulty.  As 
soon  as  we  arrived  the  financial  management  of 
the  home  of  the  missionaries  fell  into  my  hands, 
and  along  with  it  the  purchasing  of  general 
supplies.  This  necessitated  my  knowing  the  names 
of  things  and  their  prices  in  Arabic.  We  took 
daily  lessons  from  Sister  Ruda  Jureidini  until  I 
was  able  to  say  more  than  four  hundred  Arabic 
words.  I  reached  the  place  where  I  could  name 
almost  everything;  but  ability  to  put  the  words 
together  into  sentences  and  talk  fluently  I  never 
did  acquire. 

The  native  food  was  another  problem.    At  first 


208  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


we  did  not  like  the  preparations  at  all;  but  we  ate 
them  anyway.  Soon  we  all  took  sick,  and  the 
physicians  advised  that  we  eat  a  part  of  our  own 
kinds  of  food  until  we  got  used  to  the  change. 
The  Syrian  dishes  are  very  fine;  but  it  takes  time 
to  become  accustomed  to  them.  After  six  months 
we  had  no  difficulty  eating  from  the  Syrian  table. 
Now  I  am  very  fond  of  many  of  their  preparations 
of  food. 


ENLARGEMENT  OF  THE  WORK 

At  the  time  of  our  arrival  in  Syria  the  work 
was  confined  to  a  section  of  Beirut,  Schweifat,  and 
Brummana,  with  Bro.  Najebe  Berberi  doing  local 
work  in  some  villages  south  of  Tripoli.  The  work- 
ers had  been  looking  forward  to  our  arrival,  and 
praying  earnestly  for  a  real  extension  of  the  gen- 
eral field  of  activities.  What  the  work  needed  was 
a  man  of  experience  to  take  hold  of  things  and  by 
a  wise  oversight  spread  the  saving  truth  in  every 
direction.  The  field  seemed  ripe  for  real  evange- 
listic effort.  The  Protestant  line  of  endeavor  had 
for  years  been  more  educational  than  soul-saving. 
They  have  specialized  along  the  line  of  establish- 
ing schools  in  hundreds  of  villages,  and  their  great 
universities  in  Beirut  have  been  a  blessing  to  all 
the  Near  East.  This  is  a  noble  work,  and  there  is 
no  question  but  what  it  is  very  valuable  in  prepar- 
ing people  for  the  gospel. 


Zahia  Aswad  and  her  mother 


Asma  Jureidini 


Mrs.  Areka  SaUbian  and  child  Arexle  SaHbian 


Antonius   Boody  '  Yoseph  Abdo 


Emil  Hollander,  Beirut,  Syria 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


209 


But  we  found  the  time  opportune  for  carrying 
to  the  hearts  of  the  people  a  saving  message.  It 
required  a  few  months  for  us  to  get  our  bearings 
and  complete  our  plans  for  a  general  advance  all 
along  the  line.  During  this  time  the  attendance 
in  our  mission-meetings  in  East  Beirut  increased 
greatly,  and  a  considerable  number  were  converted 
and  received  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Two 
Armenian  sisters  were  baptized.  There  were  a 
number  of  substantial  additions  to  the  church.  We 
also  reorganized  our  Sunday-school  along  progress- 
ive lines,  with  an  enrolment  of  sixty,  which  soon  in- 
creased to  almost  one  hundred. 

In  July,  just  three  months  after  our  arrival, 
we  had  all  preparations  made  for  action.  The  hot 
season  was  upon  us,  and  Sisters  Laughlin  and 
Jureidini  and  my  wife  and  George  went  to  Brum- 
mana  for  a  needed  rest.  I  crossed  the  Lebanon 
Mountains  to  Zahleh  and  held  meetings,  then  on 
to  Aleppo,  which  is  about  240  miles  northeast  of 
Beirut.  It  is  but  a  short  distance  from  the 
Euphrates  Eiyer  and  Mesopotamia. 

I  found  everything  here  on  the  ancient  order 
more  than  in  any  place  I  had  visited  in  the 
East.  Everything  was  done  apparently  just  as  it 
was  thousands  of  years  ago.  It  seems  there  has 
been  but  little  change  or  progress  since  the  days 
when  Abraham  left  Ur  of  the  Chaldees  and  arrived 
here  on  his  way  to  Canaan.  It  was  but  a  small 
village  then,  and  tradition  says  the  patriarch  sold 


210  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


the  inhabitants  milk,  from  which  it  derived  its 
name  Alep— ^'milked  ouf 

I  felt  somewhat  strange  in  this  strange  city, 
among  a  people  whose  customs  and  manners  seem- 
ed very  queer  to  me.  I  am  sure  my  brethren 
and  sisters  in  America  would  laugh  to  see  me 
sit  down  on  a  low  stool  at  a  table  about  ten  inches 
high,  and  eat  cooked  victuals  with  the  natives  out 
of  one  large  bowl.    There  are  no  plates. 

Then  in  some  other  homes  we  sat  around  a 
crude-looking  table  and  ate  across  corners,  two 
men  dipping  in  the  same  dish  (women  never  eat 
with  the  men).  Between  the  two  men  is  placed 
a  dish  of  boiled  rice  and  another  dish  of  red- 
colored,  bitter  soup.  Each  man  is  given  a  flat 
loaf  of  bread  resembling  an  American  pancake. 
There  is  no  butter  and  not  anything  else  to  spread 
on  the  bread.  And  there  are  no  plates,  knives, 
or  forks.  Each  is  given  a  spoon,  and  both  begin 
to  eat  out  of  the  same  dish  of  rice,  and  to  moisten 
their  bread  by  dipping  it  into  the  dish  of  soup 
made  of  bitter  herbs.  This  is  the  custom  in 
northern  Syria,  and  it  is  a  question  of,  ^*Eat  this 
way  or  do  without."  I  got  by  actual  practise  the 
idea  of  what  Jesus  meant  when  he  said  to  John 
at  the  table,  ^'He  that  dippeth  his  hand  with  me 
in  the  dish,  the  same  shall  betray  me."  Jesus 
and  Judas  were  eating  out  of  the  same  dish.  But 
these  natives  are  so  hospitable  that  after  all  it  is 
a  pleasure  to  dip  with  them  in  the  same  dish. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


211  ^ 


I  held  meetings  here  for  three  weeks  in  the 
Congregational  church.  About  twenty  claimed 
conversion,  and  a  goodly  number  entire  sanctifi- 
cation.  During  the  meeting  I  preached  a  bold 
sermon  on  divine  healing.  At  the  close  of  the 
service  about  thirty  came  forward  for  prayer. 
The  news  spread,  and  soon  my  room  was  crowded 
with  sick  people.  I  thought  of  Acts  5:12-16.  It 
put  me  to  the  test;  but  I  remembered  the  words  of 
Christ,  ^^In  whatsoever  city  ye  enter  .  .  .  heal  the 
sick  that  are  therein." 

One  night  at  11  P.  M.,  one  of  the  leading 
physicians  of  the  city  sent  for  me  to  pray  for  his 
dying  child.  He  said,  ^^I  heard  your  sermon  on 
healing.  My  child  is  dying.  Medical  skill  has 
been  exhausted.  I  can  do  no  more.  Please  pray.'' 
The  house  was  full  of  friends,  and  the  child  was 
lying  on  the  floor  with  a  crying  mother  beside  it. 
I  anointed  the  child  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
offered  the  simple  prayer  of  faith,  and  the  child 
was  healed.  A  few*  days  later  the  doctor  came 
to  meeting  and  said,  '^My  child  is  well,"  and  in 
tears  he  added,  ^^I  will  meet  you  in  heaven."  He 
told  every  one  that  his  child  was  cured  by  faith, 
in  answer  to  prayer.  This  meeting  sowed  the 
seeds  of  truth  in  many  hearts,  and  kindled  a  fire 
that  will  never  be  extinguished.  As  many  as  seven 
hundred  people  attended  some  services.  The 
church  would  not  hold  them,  and  most  of  the 


212 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


meetings  were  held  in  an  open  square  adjoining 
the  church,  which  was  seated  for  the  purpose. 

On  October  27,  in  answer  to  an  urgent  call,  I 
began  meetings  in  Tripoli.  This  is  an  important 
seaport  town  seventy-one  English  miles  north  of 
Beirut.  After  we  visited  the  city  a  few  times  and 
held  some  successful  services  there,  it  became  clear 
that  this  was  the  center  of  what  would  develop 
to  be  one  of  the  ripest  and  most  fruitful  districts 
in  all  Syria.  After  consulting  a  number  of  busi- 
ness men,  on  November  26  we  rented  a  large  hall, 
on  the  ground  floor,  near  the  center  of  the  city, 
gave  a  contract  for  the  making  of  church-seats 
and  other  necessary  equipment,  and  hung  up  our 
large  sign,  which  reads  in  both  English  and  Arabic, 
Church  of  God,  Holiness  Mission." 

On  Dec.  11,  1921,  we  formally  dedicated  the 
place  and  held  our  first  revival.  This  has  become 
a  permanent  mission,  and  services  are  held  here 
regularly.  A  number  have  been  baptized,  among 
them  a  Mohammedan  convert,  Haleel  Zaude. 

In  Beirut  we  soon  outgrew  our  little  Mission 
Home  in  the  east  end  of  the  city,  and  began  to 
look  around  for  a  more  central  place.  For  a  long 
time  it  seemed  impossible  to  find  a  suitable  build- 
ing. The  church  then  took  the  matter  to  the  Lord 
in  earnest  prayer,  and  on  March  1,  1922,  we  rented 
a  large  building  right  in  the  center  of  Beirut,  with 
good  tramcar  facilities  from  all  parts  of  the  city. 

At  a  cost  of  about  eight  hundred  dollars  we 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


213 


fully  equipped  and  fitted  up  the  place  for  a  per- 
manent central  mission,  and  hung  up  our  large 
sign  in  English  and  Arabic,  ''Gospel  Tabernacle 
and  Holiness  Mission.''  The  place  is  attractive, 
and  seats  several  hundred  people.  Besides  the 
regular  chapel,  there  is  a  good-sized  Sunday-school 
room.  On  April  16  we  formally  dedicated  the 
place,  and  began  a  revival.  After  that  we  held 
several  evangelistic  meetings  in  this  building.  It 
is  the  permanent  central  place  of  meeting.  Since 
opening  this  place,  the  church  in  Beirut  has 
doubled  its  membership.  The  attendance  generally 
is  large,  and  people  from  all  over  the  city  are 
interested  in  our  message. 


OPENING  NEW  FIELDS 

As  a  result  of  opening  a  mission  work  in  Tripoli, 
Ibrihim  Shehda  Maloof ,  of  that  place,  took  a  firm 
stand  for  the  present  truth.  He  had  been  a 
preacher  and  teacher  in  the  schools,  and  speaks 
five  languages— English,  Arabic,  Turkish,  German, 
and  Hindustani.  I  needed  just  such  a  man  as  he 
was  for  a  fellow  laborer  and  interpreter  to  ac- 
company me  into  new  fields,  as  he  could  endure 
the  hardships  and  face  the  dangers  in  going  into 
places  where  evangelical  Christianity  had  never 
been  introduced.  He  gave  up  his  business,  and 
ever  after  was  closely  associated  with  me  in  the 
work  throughout  this  northern  field. 

On  Nov.  26,  27,  1921,  Brother  Maloof  and  I 


214 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


visited  two  villages  about  twenty  miles  north  of 
Tripoli— Minyara  and  Hakoor.  We  reached  them, 
traveling  part  of  the  way  by  automobile  and  part 
of  the  way  on  foot  by  donkey-trail.  We  arrived 
at  Minyara  about  4  P.  M.,  Saturday.  The  villagers, 
curiously  dressed,  and  somewhat  peculiar  in  looks, 
gathered  about  us  in  groups.  We  announced  a 
meeting  for  that  same  night  in  a  crude-looking 
yet  spacious  church.  By  6:30,  over  two  hundred 
people  had  assembled.  Never  in  my  life  was  I 
more  inspired  than  when  I  broke  the  living  bread 
to  these  hungry  souls,  and  looked  into  the  faces 
of  these  simple-hearted  people. 

On  the  following  day,  Sunday,  we  held  three 
services  in  the  two  villages.  As  many  as  three 
hundred  assembled  at  a  service.  I  preached  most- 
ly from  blackboard  illustrations.  When  we  left, 
they  begged  us  to  return.  So,  on  Feb.  6-8,  1922, 
we  again  held  meetings  there,  two  services  each 
day.  We  went  out  calling  among  the  people,  and 
entered  a  home  where  a  woman  was  in  bed  suffer- 
ing terribly  with  rheumatism.  In  an  instant  the 
Holy  Spirit  w'hispered  to  me,  Fulfil  your  com- 
mission.^^ We  walked  over  to  the  bed,  laid  our 
hands  upon  her,  and  offered  prayer.  The  woman 
was  wonderfully  healed.  She  arose,  and  I  took 
her  picture  with  her  family  that  same  day,  and  she 
attended  services  at  night.  I  visited  Minyara 
several  times  since  and  found  her  well  each  time. 
She  was  in  our  home  in  Beirut  eight  days  in  May, 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


215 


1923,  and  sailed  to  America  June  1.  Her  home 
is  now  in  Jacksonville,  Ma. 

On  March  2,  1922,  I  left  Beirut  on  the  auto- 
mobile-line for  Tripoli.  I  arrived  at  noon  and 
spent  the  afternoon  visiting  friends,  the  bazaars, 
and  market-places,  inviting  people  to  the  meeting 
to  be  held  at  night  in  our  mission  hall.  We  had 
a  good  congregation  of  the  very  best  people  of 
the  city.  The  next  morning  at  six  o^clock,  Bro. 
Ibrihim  S.  Maloof  and  I  left  by  train  for  Akary, 
a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles,  north.  When  we 
arrived  at  the  station,  the  wind  was  blowing  a 
terrific  gale.  Our  baggage  was  placed  in  large 
sacks,  which  were  thrown  across  a  pony  and  a 
mule.  These  animals  we  then  mounted  and  started 
on  a  twenty-mile  journey  to  Safita.  There  was 
no  road,  just  narrow  paths  something  like  sheep- 
or  cow-paths,  and  we  had  to  find  our  way.  The 
wind  blew  so  terribly  that  I  was  compelled  to 
hold  my  hat  in  my  hand  and  go  bareheaded  most 
of  the  way.  The  first  ten  miles  of  our  journey 
was  across  a  plain.  We  had  many  streams,  large 
and  small,  to  cross.  My  pony  would  leap  across 
the  smaller  streams,  and  as  I  had  no  saddle  nor 
bridle,  but  simply  a  halter  and  a  rope,  I  had  great 
difficulty  in  keeping  on  his  back.  After  we  had 
left  the  station  about  two  miles  behind,  we  were 
joined  by  five  other  horsemen  in  Arab  costume. 
One  man  brandished  a  sword  as  he  passed  us; 
but  we  had  no  fears.    We  passed  many  odd-look- 


216  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


ing  villages,  with  strange-appearing  and  strangely 
dressed  people.  In  going  the  last  ten  miles  of  the 
trip  we  had  to  climb  limestone  mountains.  Our 
muleteer  guided  us  along  the  path  to  our  destina- 
tion. At  last  we  reached  Safita,  at  twelve  o'clock, 
having  been  just  four  hours  on  the  way.  The 
town  is  very  ancient,  and  contains  ruins  which,  it 
is  claimed,  date  from  the  time  of  Christ.  In  the 
center  of  the  city  is  a  very  high  tower  or  fort 
which  was  built  in  the  time  of  the  crusaders. 

We  remained  in  this  place  from  March  3  until 
March  7,  and  held  three  meetings  each  day.  A 
large  restaurant  was  rented  and  seated,  and  here 
most  of  the  services  were  held.  The  congrega- 
tions averaged  about  three  hundred,  and  the  truth 
was  planted  in  many  hearts.  A  goodly  number 
of  sick  people  were  prayed  for  and  healed.  This 
is  a  town  of  more  than  three  thousand  inhabitants, 
situated  on  one  of  the  highest  mountains  in  the 
whole  section.  From  here  we  could  look  in  every 
direction.  We  received  many  warm  invitations  to 
return. 

On  March  7  we  mounted  a  mule  and  a  donkey 
and  started  across  the  mountains  for  Kaffroon,  a 
village  some  fifteen  miles  farther  north.  Bro. 
Antonius  Boody  has  raised  up  a  good  work  in 
Kaifroon.  He,  with  some  brethren,  had  walked 
to  Safita  to  attend  our  meeting  there.  He  then 
accompanied  Brother  Shehda  and  me  to  his 
village.    This  was  a  very  interesting  trip.  There 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


217 


was  nothing  but  a  narrow  path  all  the  way,  and 
the  mountains  are  said  to  be  limestone.  Our  path 
led  across  some  of  the  rockiest,  most  dangerous 
places  I  have  ever  traveled.  There  were  preci- 
pices and  deep  ravines  that  made  me  shudder  to 
cross  them.  The  road  wound  around  rocky  cliffs 
that  made  traveling  very  hazardous.  The  entire 
way  was  very  scenic,  and  we  saw  many  strange 
sights.  In  fact,  almost  everything  was  new  and 
strange. 

After  about  four  hours  we  reached  our  destina- 
tion. We  remained  in  the  home  of  Brother  Boody 
most  of  the  time  while  at  Kaffroon,  March  7-10. 
We  held  three  services  in  a  day  and  preached  the 
gospel  in  four  different  villages  within  a  radius 
of  five  miles.  In  this  section  we  would  go  from 
village  to  village  on  foot.  Sometimes  we  held 
meetings  in  schoolhouses,  sometimes  in  private 
homes,  and  the  last  night  in  the  Greek  Catholic 
church.  Nearly  the  whole  village  would  turn  out 
to  hear  us.  People  all  sit  on  the  floor.  It  seemed 
strange  to  me  to  see  an  entire  congregation  sitting 
on  the  floor.  They  even  requested  me  to  sit  on 
the  floor  while  preaching;  but  Brother  Shehda,  my 
interpreter,  and  I  preferred  to  stand.  These 
villagers  of  the  interior  are  very  odd-looking  folk, 
being  curiously  dressed,  and  strange  in  manner 
and  custom. 

When  the  villagers  learned  that  we  prayed  for 
the  sick,  it  seemed  that  all  the  afflicted  in  every 


218 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


town  we  visited  requested  us  to  pray  for  them. 
The  people  are  simple-hearted.  Many  of  them 
have  had  very  little,  if  any,  education  and  en- 
lightenment. We  had  to  preach  the  gospel  in 
simplicity.  But,  oh,  the  warm  hearts  and  the 
readiness  on  their  part  to  accept  the  truth!  They 
have  very  simple,  childlike  faith.  When  we  would 
pray  for  the  sick,  they  would  get  right  out  of  bed, 
healed  by  the  power  of  God. 

While  their  foods  and  customs  are  very  strange 
to  an  American,  these  people  showed  us  no  little 
kindness.  In  fact,  they  gave  us  their  very  best. 
I  never  labored  among  a  more  simple  and  warm- 
hearted people.  Brother  Boody  is  doing  a  com- 
mendable work  among  these  folk.  Our  trip  to  this 
section  has  resulted  in  his  taking  a  firm  stand 
for  the  whole  truth.  We  can  count  on  him  doing 
a  straight  work  for  God.  On  March  10  we  again 
mounted  a  donkey  and  pony,  and  started  across 
the  mountains  for  Akary,  which  required  six 
hours'  journeying.  From  here  we  took  train  for 
Tripoli,  and  from  there  I  returned  to  Beirut, 
March  11. 

Since  then,  Zahia  Aswad,  Brother  Maloof,  my 
wife  and  I  together  have  held  meetings  in  villages 
throughout  the  Safita  district,  to  include  Kaffroon 
and  surrounding  places.  Brothers  Maloof  and 
Boody  are  laboring  all  over  this  field,  as  well  as 
in  the  Hussen  district,  and  have  taken  the  present 
truth  to  about  thirty  different  towHs  and  villages. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


219 


most  of  which  have  never  been  penetrated  with 
evangelical  preaching.  At  Kiurbeit,  the  citizens 
are  building  a  new  church,  and  they  desire,  when 
it  is  completed,  that  the  church  of  God  should 
dedicate  it  and  use  it. 

On  March  22  I  left  Beirut  for  Tripoli.  I  held 
a  meeting  the  same  night  in  our  mission  hall 
there.  Early  the  next  morning,  Bro.  Ibrihim  S. 
Maloof  and  I  left  by  train  for  Telkallah,  a  towtn 
about  thirty  miles  north  of  Tripoli.  From  here 
we  went  by  pony  and  donkey  over  the  mountains 
to  Kurbeit,  a  village  about  twenty  miles  distant. 
On  the  way  we  stopped  to  rest  at  a  mountain 
village  called  Hawash.  While  there  the  French 
Governor  and  his  staff  arrived.  We  had  the  plea- 
sure of  eating  our  dinner  with  the  Governor.  A 
large  crowd  of  native  villagers  gathered,  mostly 
through  curiosity,  and  we  embraced  the  oppor- 
tunity of  preaching,  the  gospel  to  them.  Both  the 
Governor  and  the  natives  listened  with  intense  in- 
terest to  the  sermon  on  ^'True  Religion." 

That  night  we  held  a  meeting  in  a  schoolhouse 
at  Kurbeit,  and  probably  one  hundred  natives 
assembled  to  hear  the  message  on  ^'Redemption." 
At  the  close  of  the  sermon,  about  half  of  the  con- 
gregation raised  their  hands  for  prayer,  express- 
ing a  desire  to  be  saved. 

On  the  day  following  we  crossed  the  mountains 
on  foot  and  preached  to  large  congregations,  at 
Mzahlee  and  Bsolma.    On  March  25  we  returned 


220  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


to  Kurbeit.  This  village  is  the  native  home  of 
Brother  Maloof.  It  happened  that  on  this  day 
was  a  general  gathering  of  the  chief  men  from 
all  the  villages  of  what  is  known  as  the  Husson 
district.  We  took  advantage  of  the  occasion  and 
announced  a  meeting  under  a  large  oak-tree.  Here 
hundreds  of  curious-looking  natives  gathered. 
Brother  Maloof  first  preached  in  Arabic,  then  I 
followed  while  he  interpreted.  Thus  we  preached 
two  sermons  to  the  same  people.  Next  we  visited 
a  home  where  the  people  had  just  received  word 
that  their  son  in  America  had  died.  The  house 
was  filled  with  neighbors  who  came  in  to  weep  with 
those  who  weep.  This  is  the  custom  of  these 
villages.  When  death  enters  a  home,  all  the 
neighbors  gather  in  and  sit  on  the  floor  and  weep. 
Believing  it  a  good  time  to  reach  hearts,  Brother 
Maloof  and  I  arose  and  preached  a  sermon  on 
^' Death  and  the  Judgment,''  and  the  need  of  be- 
ing ready.  In  the  evening  of  the  same  day  we 
held  a  meeting  in  the  home  of  the  chief  man  of 
the  village. 

From  here  we  crossed  a  mountain  to  Mashtaya. 
Here  there  is  a  large  Greek  Catholic  convent.  Dr. 
Elias  Obeid,  the  leading  physician  in  this  district, 
entertained  us  overnight.  On  Sunday  morning 
we  attended  church  services  in  the  convent.  At 
the  close  of  the  service,  through  Dr.  Obeid  we 
asked  the  Bishop  for  the  privilege  of  preaching 
in  the  convent.    At  first  he  stoutly  refused,  as, 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  221 

of  course,  it  would  be  out  of  the  ordinary  to  allow 
any  one  outside  their  faith  to  preach  in  such  an 
important  place  as  the  convent.  But  after  about 
half  an  hour  of  earnest  pleading,  we  prevailed, 
and  the  privilege  was  reluctantly  granted.  We 
addressed  about  two  hundred  people,  among  whom 
were  several  priests,  on  the  subject  of  the  ''Power 
of  the  Gospel. 

At  the  close  of  the  service  we  climbed  a  very 
high  mountain  and  crossed  over  to  the  village  of 
Amar.  This  is  the  native  town  of  Bro.  Abdallah 
Kaad.  Here  we  met  Brother  Raad,  who  had  spent 
three  weeks  in  this  district  preaching  the  gospel. 
While  here  he  was  stricken  with  sickness, 
but  the  Lord  healed  him.  Immediately  upon  our 
arrival  we  announced  a  meeting,  and  practically 
the  whole  village  gathered  on  a  large  plot  of 
ground  near  the  Greek  Orthodox  church.  Prob- 
ably six  hundred  sat  on  the  grass  before  me.  We 
hung  our  chart  on  a  tree  and  delivered  God's 
message  to  the  multitude.  In  the  evening  the 
large,  crude-looking  but  spacious  church-building 
was  crowded  to  standing,  and  probably  as  many 
were  outside  to  hear  the  word  of  truth. 

Never  in  my  life  was  I  more  inspired  to  preach 
than  in  these  villages.  On  this  trip  we  preached 
altogether  in  six  towns,  to  about  fourteen  hundred 
people.  In  all  but  one  of  these  towns  there  has  been 
no  evangelical  church  work.  As  we  traveled  on 
foot  from  place  to  place  I  was  made  to  realize 


222  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


how  Jesus  preached  throughout  the  villages  of 
Syria  two  thousand  years  ago.  It  is  wonderful 
how  open  the  hearts  of  these  simple  people  are  to 
the  saving  message  of  truth.  On  our  arrival  at 
a  village,  no  matter  what  time  in  the  day,  all  we 
needed  to  do  was  to  announce  the  meeting,  and 
almost  the  entire  population  would  turn  out  to 
hear  the  gospel.  Whether  in  the  open  air  or  in 
some  building,  generally  the  people  all  sit  on  the 
ground.  In  one  town  several  hundred  raised  their 
hands  as  an  expression  that  they  were  lost  and 
earnestly  desired  our  prayers  that  they  might  be 
saved.  After  meeting,  they  would  crowd  around 
us  and  say,  ^'Oh,  come  back  again;  come  and  help 
to  save  us,  for  we  are  going  to  hell,  and  have  no 
one  to  teach  us  the  w^ay  out  of  sin!''  I  really 
had  to  weep.  In  all  my  ministry  I  have  never 
found  such  a  ripe  field  as  these  inland  villages 
where  they  had  never  before  heard  the  full  gospel 
of  salvation.  Brother  Maloof  is  well  fitted  for 
real  pioneer  work.  He  is  a  good  preacher,  and  a 
splendid  interpreter.  He  is  invaluable  in  opening 
up  work  throughout  the  towns  of  Syria. 

UNPLEASANT  THINGS  IN  PIONEER  WORK 

In  most  of  the  towns  where  we  opened  new 
work,  it  meant  considerable  endurance.  Very  few 
people  are  enlightened  or  educated,  and,  mea- 
sured by  American  standards,  are  living  on  a  low 
plane  of  civilization.     This,  however,  does  not 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


223 


apply  to  the  coast  cities  or  the  towns  and  villages 
of  Lebanon  in  the  Beirut  district.  Here  every- 
thing is  modern  and  up  to  date.  But  when  you 
penetrate  beyond  this,  and  go  to  the  interior  towns, 
you  meet  ignorance,  superstition,  and  darkness. 

Just  one  example:  We  secured  a  girl  for  a  ser- 
vant from  one  of  these  towns  where  we  had 
labored.  She  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  When 
she  reached  our  home  in  Beirut,  her  body  was 
covered  with  filth  and  vermin,  and  her  clothes 
would  not  pass  in  any  place  of  enlightenment.  We 
first  had  her  bathed,  and  then  clothed  her  in  re- 
spectable attire.  Then  we  had  to  teach  her  as 
you  would  a  child.  She  did  not  know  there  is  a 
Christ,  a  devil,  a  heaven,  or  a  hell.  She  had  no 
conception  of  sin  or  salvation.  She  could  not  tell 
the  difference  between  a  newspaper  and  the  Bible. 
Sister  Zahia  Aswad  spent  time  telling  her  that 
there  is  a  God,  a  Christ  who  died,  what  sin  is, 
what  it  means  to  be  saved,  etc.  After  she  was 
with  us  about  three  months  and  received  much 
teaching,  one  night  she  asked  for  prayer  and  was 
converted.  Later  I  baptized  her,  and  today  she 
is  a  fine  young  woman,  a  member  of  the  church  in 
Beirut. 

In  these  towns  the  houses  are  usually  square, 
about  twenty  feet  each  way,  with  flat  roofs.  They 
are  made  of  stone  and  mud.  They  have,  generally, 
just  dirt  floors;  in  some  of  the  better  ones  there 
is  a  sort  of  hard  floor  made  of  clay  somewhat  like 


224 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


cement.  I  entered  some  such  houses  where  the 
donkey,  cow  and  calf,  goats,  chickens,  cats,  and 
dogs  all  occupied  quarters  with  the  people.  The 
live  stock  and  family  all  lived  together  in  the 
same  room.  Imagine,  if  you  can,  a  braying  don- 
key, crowing  roosters,  and  barking  dogs  in  a 
sleeping-room  at  -4  A.  M.  Most  of  these  houses 
have  no  chimney,  and  the  smoke  from  the  fire- 
place is  almost  suffocating  to  one  not  accustomed 
to  such  things.  However,  during  the  summer  the 
cooking  is  done  outdoors.  One  place,  I  sat  down 
b}'  the  fire,  and  a  goat  was  on  my  coat  in  a  few 
moments. 

The  people  usually  never  undress  at  night,  but 
just  lie  on  mats  and  mattresses  spread  on  the 
earth  floor,  with  clothes  on  that  they  wear  through 
the  day.  Xone  of  the  towns  have  toilets,  and 
one  can  imagine  the  filth  that  accumulates  along 
the  narrow  streets  and  surroundings. 

On  wash-day  the  women  go  to  small  streams 
and  remove  all  their  clothing  and  wash  for  hours 
in  a  nude  state.  Washing  is  done  by  pounding  the 
clothes  over  the  rocks.  When  a  man  and  woman 
start  to  Tripoli  or  some  other  city  to  trade,  the 
man  always  rides  the  donkey,  and  the  woman 
walks  behind.  Often  she  carries  a  good-sized 
bundle.  The  women  always  serve  the  men,  and 
the  men  never  serve  the  women.  While  con- 
ducting an  open-air  meeting  at  Kaffroon,  Syria, 
near  a  large  fountain,  I  went  to  the  spring  for  a 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


225 


drink,  and  brought  back  a  cupful  of  cold  water 
and  handed  it  to  my  wife.  This  simple  act  of 
mine  broke  up  the  meeting.  One  man  of  the  village 
began  to  curse  and  carry  on  like  a  wild  man.  He 
said,  ^^This  American  has  come  here  to  change 
our  customs.  We  will  never  stand  for  men  serv- 
ing women  like  that." 

I  found  that  in  order  to  eat  my  food  it  was  best 
never  to  go  to  see  it  prepared  or  cooked.  These 
kind-hearted  folk  always  want  to  serve  you.  They 
will  not  allow  you  to  wait  on  yourself  if  they  can 
help  it,  and  often  when  serving  you  the  women 
have  faces  and  hands  black  with  a  crust  of  dirt. 
At  dinner  they  bring  the  hard-boiled  eggs  with 
their  shells  removed,  and  they  are  covered  with 
black  finger-marks.  When  they  roasted  a  young 
kid,  having  no  knives  and  forks  they  simply  tore 
the  flesh  to  pieces  with  their  unwashed  fingers, 
and  handed  to  each  of  us  his  portion. 

Fish  are  roasted  over  coals  of  fire  without  re- 
moving the  scales  or  taking  the  inwards  out,  and 
are  then  eaten,  intestines  and  all.  The  intestines 
of  sheep  are  cooked  and  considered  a  fine  dish. 
The  first  milk  of  the  cow  after  the  calf  is  born  is 
made  into  a  pudding  called  " schmandoor/'  and 
eaten  with  a  relish. 

These  are  but  a  few  items  of  many  I  could 
mention.  Many  times  I  sat  on  the  mat  or  stool 
to  eat  the  food  placed  before  me,  and  had  to  call 
silently  upon  the  Lord  to  help  me,  and  he  did.  I 


226  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


thought,  These  people  live  this  way  all  the  time, 
and  I  can  for  a  few  days  or  weeks,  in  order  to 
save  them  from  hell.'^  I  confess  it  required  con- 
siderable effort  sometimes.  I  did  my  very  best 
to  show  my  appreciation  for  their  sacrifice  and 
kindness;  for  they  always  gave  us  their  very  best. 

ACCOMMODATING  OURSELVES  TO  CONDITIONS  AS  WE 
FOUND  THEM 

Before  I  left  America  I  conceived  the  idea  that 
to  win  the  people  of  Syria  we  must,  like  Paul, 
become  all  things  to  all  men.''  As  far  as  pos- 
sible I  left  my  Americanism  on  the  western  side 
of  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  entered  Syria  and 
Palestine  to  live  on  a  plane  with  the  natives,  and 
mingle  freely  with  them.  O'n  my  arrival,  I  dis- 
covered that  there  was  a  great  chasm  separating 
the  American  and  European  missionaries  and  the 
native  Syrian  people.  The  former  generally  lived 
on  a  much  higher  level  and  Would  not  mingle 
freely  with  the  latter.  There  was  too  much  of 
the    better  than  thou''  spirit. 

We  began  visiting  very  freely  among  the  Syrian 
community,  and  soon  our  house  in  Ras  Beirut 
was  filled  with  these  friendly  folk.  We  lost 
prestige  with  some  of  the  missionaries,  but  we 
gained  immensely  with  the  natives.  It  was  the 
same  in  the  villages.  I  entered  their  houses,  sat 
on  the  earthen  floor  with  them,  ate  their  foods  in 
the  same  manner  as  they  do,  and  as  far  as  possible 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


227 


in  every  other  respect  adjusted  myself  to  their 
ways.  I  speak  conservatively,  not  boastingly, 
when  I  say  that  this  won  for  us  in  the  affections 
of  this  people  a  place  that  is  wonderful.  When  we 
approached  a  village,  the  news  was  circulated,  and 
people  came  out  of  their  houses  and  shops  in 
great  numbers  to  extend  welcome. 

I  have  entered  Arab  towns  both  in  Syria  and 
Palestine  where  there  w'as  not  a  single  Christian 
inhabitant,  all  Moslem.  I  walked  freely  through 
their  streets,  entered  their  shops,  and  sat  down 
on  the  ground  and  crossed  my  legs  under  me  as 
they  do,  and  with  smiles  greeted  them  with, 
^^Nharcum  sieed,  keef-halcum^  keef-suchta,  nesker- 
Alia/'  which  means,  ^  *  Good-morning,  how  are  you, 
how  is  your  health,  praise  God.''  At  first  they 
would  look  strangely  at  me;  but  I  would  smile 
and  chatter  what  little  Arabic  I  knew,  and  soon 
they  would  become  very  friendly,  make  me  Turk- 
ish coffee,  and  extend  to  me  every  kindness.  As 
soon  as  I  told  them,  ^'Americana  bait  b-Beiruf 
am  an  American  and  my  home  is  in  Beirut/'), 
they  would  show  me  every  courtesy  possible.  I 
used  to  be  afraid  of  these  Arabs,  but  I  learned  by 
personal  contact  and  experience  that  if  you  are 
an  American  everything  depends  on  how  you  deal 
with  them  and  treat  them. 


FACING  BITTER  OPPOSITION  FROM  EVERY  QUARTER 

As  before  stated,  for  a  person  to  separate  from 


228 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


one  of  the  old  established  religions  of  the  East  is 
as  though  he  went  into  infidelity,  from  the  popu- 
lar viewpoint.  And  especially  is  this  true  when 
the  convert  goes  far  enough  in  the  new  religion 
to  be  baptized;  the  popular  mind  considers  this 
a  sacrilegious  act.  The  minister  who  has  the 
courage  to  preach  such  a  doctrine  and  then  prac- 
tise it  can  expect  a  united  opposition  from  the 
religious  leaders.  The  Protestants  in  Syria  have 
not  gone  so  far.  While  they  have  drawn  some- 
what from  the  Orthodox  church,  they  have  recog- 
nized their  infant  baptism  as  valid.  We  teach  and 
practise  baptism  for  believers  only.  If  we  bap- 
tize non-Christians— Mohammedans  or  heathen- 
there  is  no  objection.  But  when  we  baptize  Chris- 
tians-former Eoman  Catholics,  Maronites,  Grreek 
Orthodox,  or  Protestants,  and  ignore  the  tradi- 
tional rite  administered  in  infancy,  we  incur  the 
united  censure  and  opposition  of  all  the  churches 
of  the  Near  East. 

This  has  been  our  position  exactly.  As  long  as 
the  work  was  comparatively  small,  this  hostility 
was  not  very  marked.  At  the  time  Brother  Smith 
baptized  his  first  converts  in  Syria,  there  was 
some  opposition.  And  again  when  he  and  Brother 
Peardon  passed  through  Syria  on  their  world  tour, 
they  immersed  a  number,  and  for  a  short  time 
there  was  considerable  stir;  this,  however,  soon 
died  away.  But  when  we  began  to  enlarge  our 
field  of  activities,  when  we  opened  large  central 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


229 


missions  in  Beirut  and  Tripoli,  when  we  carried 
our  message  to  the  many  villages  round  about,  and 
when  people  began  to  come  to  our  meetings  in 
large  numbers  and  a  goodly  number  were  saved, 
and  we  publicly  baptized  the  converts,  then  we 
encountered  a  marked  hostility,  and  this  reached 
an  organized  opposition  from  practically  all  the 
religious  leaders.  The  bishops  and  priests  warned 
their  people  not  to  come  to  our  meetings,  and  for- 
bade their  children  to  attend  our  Sunday-school.  In 
the  villages  they  threatened  their  people,  and 
forbade  them  to  deal  with  or  enter  the  homes  of 
those  who  took  their  stand  with  us. 

This  restricting  means  more  in  Syria  than  in 
America;  the  religious  leaders  in  the  East  have  a 
power  and  authority  over  their  people  that  is  not 
known  in  the  West.  The  opposition  from  the  Pro- 
testant heads  was  as  marked  as  that  from  the  oth- 
ers. They  gave  us  no  recognition  as  workers  with 
them  for  the  evangelization  of  Syria.  We  met 
their  leaders  face  to  face  and  presented  our  right 
to  be  on  the  field.  They  suggested  that  we  turn 
our  work  over  to  them,  and  go  to  new  fields  where 
Christ  had  never  been  preached.  They  also  in- 
formed us  that  this  was  the  only  cooperation  with 
us  they  were  interested  in.  An  organized  opposi- 
tion was  waged  against  our  people.  Any  associat- 
ed with  the  church  of  God  were  refused  positions  in 
schools  as  teachers,  and  also  other  professional  po- 
sitions were  denied  for  the  same  reason.  When 


230  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


some  of  our  capable  young  people  inquired  the 
cause  of  this  action,  they  were  politely  told  that  it 
was  because  of  their  connection  with  the  church 
of  God.  Some  of  them  were  compelled  to  go  else- 
where for  positions,  even  as  far  as  Egypt.  But, 
thank  God,  they  have  all  stood  true. 

False  reports  were  circulated  everywhere  to 
hurt  our  influence.  Fior  example,  it  was  rumored 
that  the  church  of  God  and  the  other  churches  of 
the  Near  East  had  entered  into  an  agreement  that 
we  were  not  to  labor  in  this  particular  field,  and 
that  contrary  to  this  arrangement  I  had  come  over 
the  protest  of  even  our  owq  Missionary  Board, 
and  was  nothing  less  than  renegade,  an  outlaw 
preacher.  This  was  spread  abroad  everywhere, 
and  I  had  it  to  meet  almost  every  place  I  went. 


RISING  ABOVE  THE  DIFFICULTIES 

In  all  ages  the  truth  has  flourished  in  the  face 
of  opposition.  Right  will  triumph.  The  true 
gospel  is  an  anvil  that  has  worn  out  many  a  ham- 
mer. The  heavy  storms  only  cause  the  roots  of 
the  sturdy  oak  to  go  deeper,  and  as  a  result  the 
branches  spread  wider.  So  it  is  with  that  work 
which  has  God  back  of  it.  ^'No  weapon  that  is 
formed  against  thee  shall  prosper, the  Lord  said 
through  Isaiah. 

It  was  impossible  to  surrender  and  abandon  our 
work,  hence  the  only  thing  to  do  was  go  ahead 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord.    As  a  church  wfe  all 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  231 


humbled  our  hearts  before  God,  sought  more  of 
his  power  and  the  manifestation  of  his  glory  in 
our  midst,  and  earnestly  prayed  for  a  more  rapid 
spread  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel.  The  Lord 
wonderfully  answered  prayer. 

I  decided  on  a  policy  of  no  retaliation,  no 
agitation  from  our  side,  and  even  no  public  de- 
fense. I  decided  simply  to  preach  the  straight 
truth  uncompromisingly,  and  to  go  ahead  with  our 
work  minding  our  own  business,  treating  our 
opposers  with  all  Christian  love  and  courtesy.  We 
even  doubled  our  diligence  to  carry  our  message 
to  more  people  than  ever.  It  was  wonderful  how 
God  blessed  us  and  gave  us  favor  with  the  people. 

Despite  all  opposition  and  misrepresentation, 
our  attendance  increased,  and  people  continued  to 
come  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  were  saved. 
Calls  for  meetings  came  in  from  every  direction, 
ten  times  more  than  we  were  able  to  fill.  The 
fact  is,  the  opposition  advertised  rather  than  hin- 
dered our  work.  The  secret  of  it  all  was  our 
humbly  seeking  the  help  of  the  Lord.  It  is  ^^not 
by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  spirit,  saith 
the  Lord.'' 


THE  MINISTRY  OF  HEALING  IN  SYRIA  ' 

When  we  first  Went  to  Syria,  I  felt  deeply  im- 
pressed that  nothing  would  so  penetrate  the  dead 
formalities  of  religion  so  prevalent  in  that  land 
as  would  a  real  demonstration  of  the  gifts  of  the 


232  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Spirit  in  the  midst  of  the  church.  The  religion 
of  the  country,  irrespective  of  creed,  is  much  more 
ceremonial,  dead,  and  formal  than  that  of  our 
Western  countries.  In  the  ministry  of  Christ  and 
the  apostles,  healing  and  miracles  often  prepared 
the  way  for  a  more  rapid  spread  of  the  gospel. 

Wherever  we  went  we  preached  healing  by  di- 
vine power.  In  the  villages  particularly,  many 
people  were  cured  of  their  ailments  in  answer  to 
prayer.  Sometimes  at  the  request  of  the  people 
we  went  from  house  to  house  and  prayed  for  about 
all  the  sick  in  a  place.  It  was  wonderful  how 
these  folk  believed  in  their  simple  way  and  were 
healed. 

At  Safita  an  old  man  was  raised  up  from  what 
seemed  to  be  his  death-bed.  Mrs.  Gabriel  Bashour, 
at  whose  house  we  stayed,  was  wonderfully  healed 
of  rheumatism.  On  August  11,  1922,  while  we  were 
conducting  a  second  series  of  meetings  in  the  same 
city,  the  pasha  of  the  place  sent  for  us  to  pray 
for  his  child.  It  was  given  up  to  die  by  two  doc- 
tors, one  of  these  being  Dr.  Bashour,  of  Tripoli. 
Both  of  these  physicians  pronounced  the  child  a 
hopeless  case  from  a  medical  standpoint.  It  was 
Dr.  Bashour  who  advised  the  pasha  to  send  for 
us  to  pray.  Thank  God,  the  child  was  instantly 
cured,  and  rapidly  grew  strong  and  well. 

On  September  9-19,  1921,  my  wife,  George,  and 
I  took  a  short  vacation  at  Zahleh,  Mount  Lebanon. 
We  stayed  at  the  home  of  Sister  Areka  Salibian, 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


233 


of  Beirut,  who  was  spending  the  summer  there. 
One  morning  this  sister  made  a  strange  request 
of  us.  She  said,  ''I  am  deprived  of  the  privilege 
and  blessing  of  bringing  forth  children,  and  I 
desire  to  have  a  baby  very  much."  She  had  been 
married  many  years,  and  said  that  the  doctors 
told  her  that  such  a  thing  was  impossible  in  her 
case,  and  she  requested  us  to  join  with  her  in 
prayer  that  the  Lord  might  overrule  and  grant 
her  this  desire.  We  had  prayer,  and  ten  months 
from  that  time  she  delivered  a  baby  girl. 

Sister  Salibian  testified  to  what  the  Lord  had 
done  before  a  large  congregation  in  Beirut.  Mrs. 
Alexander  Abdo,  a  Roman  Catholic  woman,  was 
present.  She  had  been  married  many  years  and 
was  deprived  of  the  blessing  of  children.  When 
she  heard  Sister  Salibian 's  testimony,  she  decided 
to  request  prayer  for  the  same  thing.  We  had  a 
season  of  prayer  to  this  end,  and  she  also  re- 
ceived a  baby,  a  boy,  as  a  gift  from  the  Lord. 
The  result  was,  her  husband  and  his  old  father 
both  got  saved  in  our  meetings,  and  now  they  are 
all  standing  for  the  truth,  and  came  out  of  the 
Church  of  Rome.  Mrs.  Bashour,  wife  of  D^r. 
Bashour,  of  Tripoli,  also  requested  prayer  that 
she  might  have  a  child,  and  she  also  was  rewarded. 


CARRYING  THE  WORK  INTO  PALESTINE 

Ever  after  we  visited  Nazareth  on  April  13  and 
14,  1921,  we  felt  a  deep  desire  to  return  and  preach 


234 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


the  full  gospel  in  the  city  where  Jesus  spent  about 
thirty  years  of  his  earthly  life.  In  May,  1922,  a 
man  from  Nazareth  attended  some  of  the  meetings 
of  our  Beirut  mission,  and  invited  us  to  go  to  his 
home  city.  He  promised  us  a  home  while  there 
and  a  place  to  hold  meetings.  This  opened  the 
way. 

On  August  31,  Zahia  Aswad  (my  interpreter), 
my  wife,  George,  and  I  left  Beirut  on  the  auto- 
mobile-line and  arrived  at  Nazareth  the  same  day. 
We  remained  here  sixteen  days,  or  until  Septem- 
ber 16.  We  held  cottage-meetings  in  many  dif- 
ferent homes  at  4  P.  M.,  and  in  the  Baptist  mis- 
sion-hall at  night.  The  attendance  was  very  good, 
and  we  gained  many  friends  to  the  truth,  and  the 
gospel  seed  was  sown  in  a  goodly  number  of 
hearts.  We  placed  our  literature— books  and 
Trumpets,  both  English  and  Arabic— in  the  public 
reading-room. 

Bro.  Solomon  J.  Matter  extended  to  us  much 
kindness  and  hospitality  while  there.  Two  young 
ladies  from  Cana,  the  Misses  Kareemy  and 
Moneera  Saffaury,  attended  one  of  the  services 
at  Nazareth  and  became  deeply  interested.  They 
invited  us  to  hold  meetings  in  their  home,  in  Cana 
of  Galilee.  On  September  12  we  went  by  carriage 
to  Cana,  where  we  spent  the  day  and  held  an 
afternoon  service  in  their  house.  About  fifty 
people  gathered,  and,  oh!  how  eagerly  they  drank 
in  the  truth.   After  the  service  the  people  grasped 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


235 


our  hands  and  expressed  their  deep  appreciation. 
I  spoke  on  the  "Value  of  Salvation."  Since  then 
our  literature  has  been  going  to  Cana,  and  the 
truth  continues  to  speak  in  the  little  city  where 
Nathanael— the  Israelite  without  guile— once  lived, 
and  where  Jesus  turned  the  water  into  wine. 

'  Our  visit  to  Cana  was  full  of  interest  and  was 
profitable.  We  returned  to  Nazareth  in  the  even- 
ing, and  held  a  very  precious  cottage-meeting  at 
the  home  of  Mrs.  Marian  Nacola  Klawar.  About 
twenty-five  were  present,  and  listened  with  deep 
interest  to  a  sermon  on  holiness.  We  found  both 
Cana  and  Nazareth  ripe  for  the  gospel  truth.  The 
people  are  tired  of  dead,  formal  religion,  and 
many  are  ready  to  break  away  from  it.  One 
prominent  man  in  Nazareth  told  me  that  no  less 
than  one  hundred  people  there  would  step  out 
into  the  clear  light  if  we  should  decide  to  establish 
a  permanent  work  there.  May  God  supply  the 
means  for  such  a  work!  Altogether  our  trip  to 
Nazareth  w<as  very  profitable  to  the  cause,  and  it 
opens  a  new  field  for  the  church  of  God  in  the 
Near  East. 


HISTORIC  SIGHTS  IN  SYRIA 

Besides  traveling  very  extensively  over  Syria 
in  general  evangelistic  work,  it  was  our  privilege 
also  to  visit  a  great  many  places  of  historical  in- 
terest.   I  will  mention  a  few  of  these. 


236 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Baalbek 

On  September  17,  1921,  we  visited  Baalbek,  which 
was  once  the  center  of  idolatrous  worship  in  Syria. 
It  was  once  a  most  glorious  city,  a  place  of  great 
palaces,  monuments,  and  temples.  Here  the  sun 
was  worshiped  under  the  name  of  Baal,  so 
often  mentioned  in  the  Bible.  In  Egypt  he  was 
called  Osiris,  in  Scandinavia  he  was  known  as 
Balder,  and  the  Aztec  Mexicans  worshiped  him  as 
Vizliputzli.  So  when  King  Ahab  erected  a  temple 
to  Baal,  he  established  in  Israel  the  worship  of 
the  same  heathen  deity  that  other  nations  knew, 
and  was  therefore  no  better  than  they. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  Christian  era,  when  the 
rising  tide  of  Christianity  was  sweeping  all  over 
the  East,  the  Roman  emperors  determined  tO' 
counteract  its  influence  by  establishing  paganism 
on  such  a  magnificent  scale  that  it  would  carry 
everything  before  it.  So  here  at  Baalbek  were 
erected  the  great  temple  of  Jupiter  and  the  temple 
of  Bacchus.  These  were  among  the  greatest  hea- 
then temples  ever  erected  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  Mercury  and  "Vlenus  were  also  worshiped 
here. 

The  ruins  of  these  structures  cover  many  acres 
of  ground.  Nowhere  else  in  all  our  travels  have 
we  seen  such  vast  ruins,  not  even  in  Rome.  The 
temple  of  Jupiter  is  much  the  largest.  In  the 
midst  of  its  ruins  we  stood  in  amazement  and 
viewed   massive    substructures   made   visible  by 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


237 


excavation,  broad  staircases,  vaults,  vestibules, 
towers,  columns,  courts,  and  altars.  How  the 
enormous  blocks  of  stone  were  moved  from  the 
quarries,  a  mile  away,  and  placed  in  position,  no 
architect  today  can  tell.  The  temple  of  Bacchus, 
while  smaller  and  of  the  same  age  as  the  other, 
is  still  standing  intact,  and  is  said  to  be  the  most 
beautiful  ancient  building  in  Syria. 

As  I  stood  there,  these  thoughts  flew  through 
my  mind:  Here  are  the  ruins  of  idolatrous  wor- 
ship. Millions  of  dollars  were  spent  in  the  erection 
of  these  temples.  They  were  once  the  admiration 
of  the  pagan  world.  Their  crumbling  walls  and 
fallen  pillars  simply  tell  us  the  history  of  the  past. 
Yet  Christianity  still  lives  and  marches  on  trium- 
phant. The  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ  survives  all 
the  wrecks  of  empires.  Without  a  palace  or  a 
court,  without  a  bayonet  or  a  saber,  without  any 
offer  of  rank  or  wealth  or  power  to  his  subjects, 
he  has  a  kingdom  that  has  advanced  steadily,  re- 
sistlessly,  increasing  in  strength  every  hour,  crush- 
ing all  opposition,  triumphing  over  all  time's 
changes;  so  that  at  the  present  moment  the  king- 
dom of  Jesus  is  a  stronger  kingdom,  more  potent 
in  all  the  elements  of  influence  over  the  human 
heart,  than  all  the  powers  of  earth. 

Jebail 

This  is  a  seacoast  town  about  thirty  miles  north 
of  Beirut.  Its  present  population  is  about  eight 
thousand  people.    It  was  once  one  of  the  great 


238  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


commercial  cities  of  Syria,  and  the  port  of  Baal- 
bek, which  lies  across  tiie  Lebanon  Mountains  from 
Jebail.    It  was  once  a  seat  of  idolatrous  worship. 

It  was  from  the  quarries  of  Jebail  that  much 
of  the  finest  stone  for  Solomon's  temple  at  Jeru- 
salem was  taken.  Also  from  here  King  Hiram 
shipped  the  cedars  for  the  temple,  by  way  of 
Joppa.  Eecently  the  French  have  undertaken  ex- 
tensive excavation  work  here,  and  many  valuable 
treasures  have  been  unearthed;  also  some  noted 
tombs  dating  from  several  centuries  before  the 
Christian  era  have  been  discovered. 

Although  we  passed  through  here  many  times  on 
our  trips  between  Beirut  and  Tripoli,  on  Aug.  2, 
1922,  I  visited  all  places  of  interest  in  and  about  the 
city.  It  was  indeed  worth  while  to  visit  the  under- 
ground tombs.  There  is  a  large  tower  and  fort 
near  the  seashore  that  dates  from  the  time  of  the 
crusaders.  There  were  over  three  thousand  Armen- 
ian orphans  in  Jebail,  and  a  large  hospital  for 
refugees. 

Damascus 

This  is  not  only  the  most  ancient  city  of  Syria, 
but  is  generally  regarded  as  the  oldest  city  in  the 
world.  We  are  sure  it  was  an  important  city  in 
the  time  of  Abraham  (Gen.  14:15),  whose  steward 
was  a  native  of  the  place  (Gen.  15:2).  In  the 
days  of  King  David  it  was  subdued  and  became 
a  part  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  at  which  time  it 
was  garrisoned  with  Israelites  (2  Sam.  8:3-6).  It 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  230 

was  the  capital  of  Syria,  and  during  the  history 
of  the  kings  of  Judah  and  Israel  the  Syrian  armies 
marched  from  Damascus  time  and  again  and 
fought  against  Israel. 

Naaman,  the  Syrian  leper,  lived  here,  and  from 
Damascus  journeyed  to  Samaria,  where  the  proph- 
et Ellisha  resided  (2  Kings  5:1-14).  Very  early 
after  Pentecost  a  large  Christian  church  was 
planted  here.  Its  influence  spread  far  and  wide. 
Hither  Saul  of  Tarsus  came  to  take  away  bound 
to  Jerusalem  the  disciples  of  the  Lord.  On  the 
outskirts  of  this  city  he  was  miraculously  con- 
verted, and  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city  received 
the  Holy  Spirit  baptism  (Acts  9:1-22).  He  later 
escaped  from  the  murderous  intent  of  the  Jews 
by  being  let  down  outside  the  wall  of  the  city 
in  a  basket  at  night  (Acts  9:23-25;  2  Cor.  11:32, 
33). 

On  April  11-14,  1922,  my  wife,  George,  and  I 
visited  Damascus.  We  crossed  the  Lebanon  Moun- 
tains on  the  automobile-line  which  runs  daily  be- 
tween the  two  cities.  Before  we  entered  the  city 
we  descended  along  the  picturesque  Barada 
(Abana)  Hiver  for  a  long  distance.  We  traversed 
the  whole  length  of  the  street  which  is  called 
Straight''  (Acts  9:11).  On  this  street  is  pointed 
out  the  place  where  Paul  received  the  Holy  Ghost. 
From  here  we  went  to  the  house  of  Ananias.  Next 
we  visited  the  wall  where  Paul  was  let  down  in  a 
basket,  we  were  shown  the  reputed  window  through 


240  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


which  he  escaped.  We  traveled  through  the  en- 
tire length  of  the  city  by  tramcar,  and  by  carriage 
went  several  miles  along  the  Jerusalem  road  where 
Paul  was  struck  down  and  converted. 

By  climbing  a  mountain  back  of  the  city  we  had 
a  splendid  view  of  Damascus  and  its  environment. 
It  is  situated  in  a  broad  plain,  and  is  watered  by 
numerous  streams  and  surrounded  by  thousands 
of  acres  of  gardens  and  orchards  filled  with  de- 
licious fruits  and  flowers.  The  view  we  thus  ob- 
tained is  most  enchanting.  The  Mohammedans 
regard  Damascus  as  the  earthly  symbol  of  para- 
dise. It  is  claimed  that  the  vicinity  of  Damascus 
is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the  world.  We 
drank  water  from  the  River  Pharpar,  and  stood 
on  the  banks  of  Abana,  mentioned  in  2  Kings 
5:12.  We  also  visited  the  great  Omaiyade  Mosque. 
It  is  a  very  costly  shrine  of  immense  size,  and  in 
it  they  pointed  out  the  tomb  in  which  they  claim 
is  deposited  the  head  of  John  the  Baptist.  To 
believe  all  these  superstitious  Mohammedans  tell 
you  would  require  a  great  stretch  of  imagination. 
We  visited  some  of  the  most  artistic  Mohammedan 
mansions  that  we  have  ever  seen. 

Cedars  af  Lebanon 

About  forty  miles  from  Tripoli,  up  in  the  moun- 
tains at  an  elevation  of  about  nine  thousand  feet, 
is  a  government  reservation  of  about  twenty-five 
acres  surrounded  by  a  high  stone  wall.  Inside 
of  this  enclosure  are  four  hundred  cedars,  some 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  241 


of  them  of  immense  size  and  hoary.  One  mea- 
sures 36V2  feet  in  circumference  and  has  a  limb 
or  branch  111  feet  long.  We  were  told  that  some 
of  these  trees  we  were  looking  upon  dated  [from 
before  the  time  of  K{mg  Solomon.  Cedars  from 
Lebanon  were  used  in  the  palace  of  Solomon  in 
Jerusalem,  and  also  in  the  construction  of  the 
temple. 

On  August  17  and  18,  1922,  we  visited  these 
cedars,  and  again  on  June  20  and  21,  1923,  in 
company  with  Brother  and  Sister  G.  K.  Ouzoun- 
ian.  The  mountain  scenery  at  Bsharry  and  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  cedars  is  by  far  the  most  beauti- 
ful that  we  saw  in  all  Lebanon.  On  June  21,  at 
4  A.  M.,  my  wife  and  I  left  camp  at  the  cedars 
and  climbed  to  the  highest  peak  of  the  Lebanon 
Eange— about  eleven  thousand  feet  above  the 
Mediterranean.  From  the  top  we  had  a  wonder- 
ful view  both  inland  and  towards  the  sea. 

Sidon 

Sidon  is  a  seacoast  city  of  12,000  people  thirty- 
six  miles  south  of  Beirut.  It  is  a  very  ancient 
city,  first  mentioned  in  the  Bible  in  Gen  10:19. 
In  the  days  of  Solomon  there  were  none  among 
the  Israelites  that  had  the  skill  to  hew  timber 
like  unto  the  Sidonians''  (1  Kings  5:6).  Although 
allotted  to  the  tribe  of  Asher,  Sidon  was  never 
conquered  by  the  Israelites.  For  wealth,  com- 
merce, luxury,  vice,  and  power,  it  was  unequaled 
in  the  Levant,  until  Tyre  outstripped  it,  and  Shal- 


242 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


maneser  conquered  it  about  725  B.  C.  From  that 
time  on  it  passed  successively  under  the  rule  of 
the  Persians,  Macedonians,  Egyptians,  Romans, 
Arabs,  and  crusaders. 

Jesus  came  into  the  coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon, 
and  here  the  Syrophenician  woman  importuned 
for  her  daughter  until  Christ  answered  her 
earnest  prayer  (Matt.  15:21-28;  Mark  7:24-30). 
When  Jesus  upbraided  the  cities  of  Chorazin  and 
Bethsaida,  he  said  "If  the  mighty  works,  which 
were  done  in  you,  had  been  done  in  Tyre  and  ^ 
Sidon,  they  would  have  repented  long  ago  in  sack- 
cloth and  ashes.  But  I  say  unto  you,  It  shall  be 
more  tolerable  for  Tyre  and  Sidon  at  the  day  of 
judgment,  than  for  you"  (Matt.  11:20-22). 

The  town  has  fine  gardens  and  orchards,  and  is 
noted  for  its  delicious  oranges.  The  Presbyterians 
have  a  large  orphanage  and  school  here,  and  have 
established  a  considerable  work  in  the  city  and 
surroundings.  We  \dsited  Sidon  more  than  once 
during  our  stay  in  Syria. 

Tyre 

This  city  is  located  on  a  rocky  peninsula  about 
twenty  miles  south  of  Sidon.  The  present  popu- 
lation is  about  six  thousand.  The  streets  are  nar- 
row, the  bazaars  Oriental,  and  the  inhabitants 
friendly  to  visitors.  There  are  many  ruins  to  be 
seen.    We  enjoyed  our  stop  here  very  much. 

Tyre  has  a  wonderful  history,  dating  from  about 
2750  B,  C,   In  the  time  of  Joshua  it  was  a  ' '  strong 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


243 


city"  (Josh.  19:29).  Hiram  was  its  king  in  the 
time  of  David,  and  a  friendly  alliance  seems  to 
have  existed  between  the  two  monarchs  (2  Sam. 
5:11),  which  continued  during  the  reign  of  Solo- 
mon. Just  south  of  the  present  city  we  visited 
the  site  of  Solomon's  gardens  that  were  given 
to  him  by  King  Hiram.  The  basis  of  the  lesson 
given  in  S.  of  Sol.  4:  12-16  is  this  garden.  It  is 
to  this  day  one  of  the  most  fertile  spots  in  the 
whole  section. 

Zarephath 

After  the  brook  Cherith  dried  up,  the  Lord 
directed  Elijah  to  go  to  Zarephath.  It  was  here 
the  prophet  was  lodged  by  the  widow  and  ^'the 
barrel  of  meal  wasted  not,  neither  did  the  cruse 
of  oil  fail."  Here  also  Elijah  raised  the  widow's 
son  to  life.  The  entire  account  of  this  will  be 
found  in  1  Kings  17:8-24.  Jesus  referred  to  this 
incident  and  called  the  city  Sarepta  (Luke  4:25, 
26). 

On  June  I67  1923,  we  went  by  automobile  to 
this  city.  Its  present  name  is  Surafend.  It  is 
located  about  eight  miles  south  of  Sidon,  about 
one  mile  from  the  seashore  on  a  picturesque  hill- 
side, and  its  inhabitants  number  nearly  three  thou- 
sand. Although  it  is  an  Arab  town,  the  people 
treated  us  very  kindly,  and  we  bought  some  of 
their  wares  for  souvenirs.  I  took  some  interest- 
ing photographs  of  the  place  and  surroundings. 


244 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Over  tlie  site  of  the  widow's  house  is  erected  a 
mosque  which  is  twelve  hundred  years  old. 

Visiting  Places  of  Bible  History  in  the  Holy  Land 

Altogether  we  have  made  three  tours  of  the  land 
of  sacred  story,  and  have  visited  practically  every 
place  of  Biblical  interest  ''from  Dan  to  Beer- 
sheba."  In  all  the  places  visited  I  made  obser- 
vations, and  gathered  all  the  data  and  information 
possible. 

While  holding  evangelistic  meetings  in  Nazareth, 
Aug  31— Sept.  16,  1922,  we  visited  many  places  of 
Biblical  renown  in  northern  Palestine.  Nazareth 
itself  is  an  interesting  city.  Its  present  popula- 
tion is  about  fifteen  thousand.  This  is  mostly  of 
the  Syrian  type,  although  within  the  last  few  years 
a  number  of  wealthy  Jews  have  opened  places  of 
business  in  the  city,  and  these  are  strictly  modem. 
The  people  generally  are  very  kind-hearted  and 
hospitable. 

I  considered  that  Nazareth  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  places  in  all  Palestine.  There  are  fine 
automobile  highways  to  Haifa,  Tiberius,  Bethshan, 
and  Jerusalem,  and  many  automobile  loads  of 
tourists  pass  through  here  daily.  The  fact  that 
this  was  the  home  of  Joseph  and  Mary,  and  that 
Jesus  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  here,  makes 
it  a  place  of  first  importance  to  a  Christian. 

The  principal  places  of  interest  are  the  follow- 
ing: The  Church  of  the  Annunciation,  which  marks 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


245 


the  site  where  Gabriel  appeared  to  Mary;  the 
synagog,  where  Christ  preached  and  was  rejected; 
Joseph's  workshop;  the  Mount  of  Precipitation, 
where  they  led  Jesus  to  throw  him  down  head- 
long; and  the  Virgin 's  Fountain  (as  there  is  but 
one  other  small  spring  in  the  whole  city,  it  is 
evident  that  Mary  carried  the  water  from  this 
fountain  for  the  family  use;  and  she  probably 
carried  it  in  an  earthen  jar  upon  her  head  just  as 
the  women  do  today). 

Stupendous  View  fram  Top  of  Mount  Tabor 
In  many  respects  Tabor  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable mountains  in  Palestine.  It  is  situated 
on  the  northeastern  edge  of  the  great  plain  of 
Esdraelon,  and  what  was  once  the  border  between 
Zebulun  and  Naphtali.  It  is  about  eight  miles 
southeast  of  Nazareth.  Its  summit  is  1,843  feet 
above  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  From  the  fact  that 
Tabor  overlooked  the  great  battle-plain  of  Pales- 
tine, it  naturally  became  a  suitable  place  for  the 
northern  tribes  to  assemble  for  battle.  At  the 
command  of  Deborah  the  prophetess,  Barak  as- 
sembled a  small  army  of  ten  thousand  men  near 
the  summit  of  this  mountain.  On  the  plain,  below, 
by  the  brook  Kishon,  Jabin^s  Gentile  hosts  were 
gathered  under  the  command  of  Sisera.  This 
army  had  nine  hundred  chariots  of  iron.  One  of 
the  most  remarkable  victories  ever  won  by  Israel 
took  place  here.  Barak  and  Deborah  descended 
into  the  plain  and  defeated  the  hosts  of  Sisera. 


246 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


The  Gentile  armies  fell  before  the  Lord's  little 
band  until  "there  was  not  a  man  left." 

In  Psa.  89:12,  Tabor  is  extolled  with  Hermon, 
and  is  mentioned  with  Carmel  in  Jer.  46 :18.  While 
Tabor  is  not  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament, 
early  Christian  writers,  such  as  Origen  and  Jerome, 
identified  it  as  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration.  The 
summit  is  flat,  nearly  one  half  mile  long  and  about 
an  eighth  of  a  mile  wide.  There  are  also  ruins 
of  towers,  fortifications,  vaults,  cisterns,  and  other 
structures  of  various  periods,  Jewish,  Greek,  Ro- 
man, Christian,  and  Turkish,  on  it. 

On  September  5,  at  nine  in  the  morning,  we  left 
Nazareth  by  carriage  for  Mount  Tabor.  We 
crossed  the  Kiishon  twice,  and  traversed  the  battle- 
field where  the  Lord  wrought  gloriously  in  behalf 
of  Deborah  and  Barak  against  Sisera's  great 
armies.  It  was  eleven  o'clock  when  we  reached 
the  base  of  the  mountain  at  the  village  of  Deborah, 
named  after  the  ancient  prophetess.  Deborah  con- 
tains about  750  Arabs.  Prom  all  appearances  they 
are  but  half  civilized,  a  wild-looking  set  of  people. 
We  first  stopped  under  a  large  tree  in  the  midst 
of  their  threshing-floors.  Here  on  a  space  covering 
about  two  acres  of  ground  many  yoke  of  oxen 
were  "treading  out  the  corn"— wheat.  For  a  few 
piasters  we  secured  ponies  and  mules  and  began  the 
ascent.    It  took  just  one  hour  to  reach  the  summit. 

We  first  visited  the  Greek  church,  in  which  is 
a  beautiful  painting  of  the  transfiguration,  which 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  247 


they  claim  took  place  there.  Near  this  is  a  well  of 
the  coldest  water  we  found  in  Palestine.  Here  we 
ate  our  lunch.  After  dinner  We  visited  the  ex- 
tensive ruins  both  above  and  under  ground.  This 
was  indeed  interesting,  for  many  of  them  date 
from  the  days  of  the  kings  of  Israel. 

But  the  most  interesting  of  all  was  the  wonder- 
ful view  obtained  from  the  summit  of  this  moun- 
tain. As  we  looked  northeast,  about  twelve  miles 
distant  and  far  below  us  in  clear  view  was  the 
Sea  of  Galilee,  and  beyond  it  the  mountains  of 
Bashan  and  Mount  Hermon.  Also  the  land  of  the 
Gadarenes  was  plainly  visible.  On  the  plain  be- 
tween us  and  the  Sea  in  clear  view  was  the  Mount 
of  Beatitudes,  or  Horns  of  Hattin.  Then  as  we 
looked  eastward,  the  Jordan  Valley  for  many  miles 
could  be  seen,  and  beyond  it  the  entire  range  of 
the  mountains  of  Gilead.  Turning  southward,  we 
beheld  Little  Hermon,  and  on  its  northern  slopes 
the  villages  of  Endor  and  Nain.  Beyond  it  the 
entire  range  of  the  Gilboa  mountains,  about  ten 
miles  in  length,  could  be  seen. 

Then  as  we  looked  westward  the  entire  plain  of 
Esdraelon,  extending  to  Mount  Carmel,  was  be- 
fore us.  I  shall  never  forget  this  stupendous  sight. 
And  this  is  the  very  plain  where  the  warriors  of 
nearly  every  nation  under  heaven  have  pitched 
their  tents  and  have  beheld  their  banners  wet  with 
the  dews  of  Tabor  and  Hermon!  Yes,  this  has 
been  the  battle-field  of  nations  from  the  days  of 


248  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Barak  and  Sisera  to  those  of  the  late  World  War. 
How  wonderful  to  behold  with  one  grand  sweep  of 
vision  the  whole  plain  of  Armageddon!  And  this 
very  plain  stands  as  the  great  type  of  the  final 
conflict  between  true  religion  and  all  the  false  re- 
ligions of  earth,  which  conflict  will  usher  in  the 
great  day  of  God  Almighty,  or  final  judgment 
(Rev.  16:12-16;  20:7-9). 

Endor 

On  the  morning  of  September  9,  at  half  past  six, 
our  company  left  Nazareth  for  Endor,  a  distance 
of  about  ten  miles.  A  British  soldier  accompanied 
us,  and  bore  his  share  of  the  expenses  for  the 
pleasure  of  the  trip.  Endor  is  an  Arab  Moslem  town 
that  lies  on  the  northern  slopes  of  Little  Hermon. 
Its  present  inhabitants  number  about  eight  hundred 
of  as  filthy  and  wild-looking  people  as  we  have 
seen  in  all  our  travels.  It  Was  here  the  witch 
lived  to  whom  King  Saul  went  and  sought  counsel 
the  night  before  his  tragic  death  upon  Mount  Gril- 
boa  (1  Sam.  28:7-25).  This  Bible  occurrence, 
which  we  had  so  often  read  and  studied,  is  what 
attracted  us  to  the  place. 

We  reached  the  village  about  9  A.  M.  On  our 
approach  the  natives  gathered  in  groups,  and  from 
their  actions  it  was  plain  to  be  seen  that  we  were 
a  curiosity  to  them.  Not  one  tourist  in  a  thou- 
sand visits  these  towns.  Zahia  Aswad  began  talk- 
ing to  them  in  Arabic,  and  then  they  became  friend- 
ly.  We  first  inquired  for  the  witch's  house.  They 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  243 


led  us  to  an  underground  cave  about  the  center  of 
the  town.  This  they  call  the  House  of  the  old 
woman. We  crawled  down  into  a  large  hole  in 
the  earth,  and  from  this  through  a  narrow  door 
into  a  cave.  Here  we  stood  in  a  room  about  twelve 
feet  square  hewn  out  of  solid  limestone  rock. 
There  were  three  small  rooms  adjoining. 

What  feelings  crept  over  us  as  we  stood  there 
in  that  dismal  place  and  thought  that  there  was 
probably  the  very  spot  where  the  demon-possessed 
witch  once  lived,  and  where  Saul,  forsaken  by 
God,  sought  advice!  Not  only  the  cave,  but  the 
whole  town  and  its  inhabitants  impressed  us  as 
God-forsaken.  From  here  we  meandered  around 
through  the  narrow,  filthy  streets  entering  into 
and  examining  houses  and  everything  to  be  seen. 
The  houses,  built  of  stone,  are  of  a  peculiar  shape, 
and  are  plastered  within  and  without  with  manure. 
In  the  east  end  of  the  town  we  found  a  small  store 
and  a  few  people  who  were  more  intelligent  than 
the  others.  From  them  we  purchased  a  Bedouin 
belt  as  a  souvenir  of  the  place. 

Nain 

From  Endor  we  follow^ed  the  carriage-road  along 
the  base  of  Little  Hermon  westward  a  distance  of 
three  miles,  to  the  village  of  Nain.  It  was  here 
that  Jesus  raised  the  widow's  son  to  life  (Luke 
7:11-17).  We  arrived  about  11  A.  M.  at  the  foun- 
tain below  the  town.  Here  shepherds  were  water- 
ing herds  of  goats  and  cattle.   We  entered  a  large 


250 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


fig-  and  pomegranate-orchard  near  the  spring  and 
ate  our  lunch.  The  natives  kindly  gave  us  of  their 
fruits.  After  lunch  we  went  all  over  the  place. 
On  the  west  side  of  the  village  are  many  ancient 
sepulchral  caves,  and,  no  doubt,  these  mark  the 
very  cemetery  to  which  the  procession  was  going 
when  Jesus  met  it,  and  turned  mourning  into  joy 
by  delivering  the  dead  boy  alive  to  his  mother. 

As  we  passed  the  threshing-floors,  a  crowd  of 
men  assembled,  and  began  to  talk  violently.  Sister 
Aswad  informed  me  that  they  thought  we  were 
Jews  coming  to  take  their  homes.  I  at  once  walked 
over  to  them  and  pointing  to  myself  said,  ''Amer- 
icana bait  h-Beirut/'  This  means,  ''I  am  an 
American,  and  I  live  in  Beirut. ' '  They  at  once 
became  very  friendly  and  began  to  chatter  Arabic 
that  I  did  not  understand.  We  entered  a  Latin 
church  in  which  is  a  beautiful  painting  of  Jesus 
raising  the  widow's  son. 

Shunem 

At  1  P.  M.  we  started  for  Shunem,  now  called 
'^Sulem.''  Soon  after  we  left  Nain,  we  came,  for 
a  short  distance,  onto  the  main  caravan-road  from 
Damascus  to  Jerusalem.  On  this  road  was  a 
herd  of  about  four  hundred  camels  on  their  way 
from  Damascus  to  Egypt,  to  be  sold  there.  The 
entire  herd  stretched  along  the  way  for  more  than 
a  mile.  After  we  left  this  highway  our  road  led 
around  the  western  end  of  Little  Hermon  to  the 
southern  side  of  the  mountain.    We  passed  two 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


251 


large  Jewish  colonies  on  the  way.  Here  we  saw 
everything  modern  and  up  to  date.  There  were 
fine  large  houses  and  barns,  orchards,  gasoline 
engines  pumping  water  for  irrigation,  modern 
machinery  as  plows  and  hay-loaders,  etc.  We 
here  saw  a  threshing-machine  for  the  first  time 
since  coming  to  Syria. 

About  2  P.  M.  we  reached  the  place.  It  is 
an  Arab  town  of  six  or  seven  hundred  people.  It 
is  surrounded  with  gardens  and  orchards.'  The 
Philistines  encamped  here  before  the  great  battle 
of  Gilboa  (1  Sam.  28:4).  Here  the  Shunammite 
woman  entertained  Elijah,  and  it  was  here  her 
son  was  raised  to  life  (2  Kings  4:8-37).  From 
here  we  could  look  across  the  great  plain  westward 
and  distinctly  see  the  sacred  sites  on  Mount  Carmel, 
about  twelve  miles  distant.  This  gave  us  a  clear 
idea  of  how  far  the  Shunammite  woman  had  to  go 
to  reach  the  man  of  God  on  Carmel,  and  how  far 
the  prophet  and  Gehazi  traveled  to  reach  her  home. 

Gath-hepher 

The  town  of  Gath-hepher  lies  about  three  miles 
east  of  Nazareth.  Its  Arabic  name  is  El-Meshed. 
It  is  located  on  a  rocky  hill  about  half  a  mile  from 
the  main  highway.  We  climbed  the  hill  to  an  old 
tomb  just  north  of  the  town.  This  is  claimed  to 
be  the  tomb  of  Jonah  the  prophet,  as  this  place 
was  his  home  (2  Kings  14:25).  The  tomb  proper 
is  a  sort  of  cave,  and  the  grave  itself  is  of  the 


^52 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


same  model  exactly  as  that  of  the  patriarchs  in 
the  Cave  of  Machpelah,  at  Hebron.  This  would 
indicate  that  it  is  a  very  ancient  tomb.  We  re- 
mained in  the  village  about  an  hour  and  saw  some 
curious  sights. 

Mount  of  Beatitudes 

On  September  13  we  visited  the  Mount  of 
Beatitudes.  It  is  a  curiously  shaped  hill,  having  on 
its  summit  two  peaks,  or  horns,  from  which  it 
derives  its  name  the  Horns  of  Hattin.''  This 
is  the  traditional  mount  where  Jesus  preached  th6 
sermon  recorded  in  Matthew  5,  6,  and  7.  It  is 
declared  by  Dean  Stanley  to  meet  all  the  require- 
ments of  the  gospel  narrative.  The  driver  stopped 
his  car  by  the  roadside,  while  we  made  the  trip 
to  this  historic  mount.  It  seemed  so  near  that  I 
at  first  imagined  we  could  reach  it  in  fifteen 
minutes.  It  took  us  almost  an  hour  to  cross  the 
plain  and  ascend  to  the  summit.  We  were  con- 
scious that  every  foot  on  which  we  were  treading 
was  historic  ground.  On  this  very  plain  took  place 
the  deciding  battle  between  the  crusaders  and  the 
Moslems  under  Saladin,  July  3,  1187,  in  which  the 
Christians  Were  miserably  defeated. 

Standing  on  the  top  of  the  mount  we  had  a  fine 
view  of  the  surrounding  country.  From  here  we 
could  look  down  on  the  blue  waters  of  the  Sea  of 
Galilee,  almost  1,700  feet  below  us.  How  wonder- 
ful !  Here  we  stood  where  Jesus  sat  and  discoursed 
with  his  disciples.    Looking  northward  we  saw. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


253 


near  the  summit  of  a  high  mountain  in  plain  view, 
Safed.  Jesus  no  doubt  pointed  to  this  very  place 
when  he  said,  '^A  city  that  is  set  on  a  hill  can 
not  be  hid/' 

Valley  of  Jezreel 

Sometimes  the  whole  plain  of  Esdraelon  is  re- 
ferred to  as  the  Valley  of  Jezreel.  But,  properly 
speaking,  the  Valley  of  Jezreel  is  that  branch  or 
valley  which  lies  between  Mount  Gilboa  on  the  south 
and  Little  Hermon  on  the  north,  extending  from 
the  ancient  city  of  Jezreel  on  the  west  to  Bethshan 
on  the  east,  a  distance  of  about  twelve  English 
miles.  It  is  the  richest  and  most  celebrated  part 
of  the  great  plain.  On  the  morning  of  September 
15,  at  half  past  six,  our  company  left  Nazareth  in 
a  Ford.  In  one  hour  we  were  at  Zerin.  This 
town  occupies  the  site  of  the  ancient  city  of 

Jezreel 

Jezreel  is  located  on  a  spur  at  the  west  end  of 
the  Gilboa  Mountains.  Its  present  population 
numbers  about  one  thousand,  and  its  inhabitants 
are  filthy,  half-civilized  Arabs.  We  spent  more 
than  an  hour  in  the  town  and  its  surroundings. 
It  was  once  a  boundary  of  Issachar  (Josh.  19:18). 
King  Ahab  chose  it  for  his  chief  residence.  Here 
he  had  his  palace  (1  Kings  21:1).  It  is  very  like- 
ly that  his  ivory  house  and  bed  were  here.  Most 
of  the  history  of  Ahab  and  his  wicked  wife,  Jeze- 
bel, was  made  in  and  around  this  city.  Jezebel 


254 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


lived  by  the  city  wall,  and  had  a  high  window 
facing  eastward.  There  was  a  watch-tower  on 
which  a  sentinel  stood,  and  it  also  faced  eastward 
(2  Kings  9:16,  17).  Near  the  center  of  the  pres- 
ent towti  is  an  ancient  square  tower,  and  they  tell 
us  that  this  marks  the  site  of  Ahab's  residence, 
and  the  place  where  Jezebel  was  thrown  out  of 
the  window  and  eaten  by  dogs  (see  2  Kings  9: 
30-37).  We  climbed  up  into  the  tower,  and  from 
the  top  we  had  a  commanding  view  of  the  entire 
town,  its  surroundings,  and  the  great  plain  (around 
this  village  are  about  three  hundred  subterranean 
cisterns  and  granaries).  From  this  tower,  as  we 
looked  eastw^ard  down  the  valley,  we  could  see  the 
very  place  where  the  watchman  on  the  walls  saw 
Jehu  coming  up  the  valley  in  his  chariot  "driving 
furiously''  (see  2  Kings  9:16-24).  The  old  road- 
bed over  which  Jehu  drove  up  the  mountain-side 
to  the  city  still  remains.  Just  back  of  the  town 
is  a  fountain,  and  here  Saul  and  Jonathan  encamp- 
ed and  drank  of  its  waters  before  entering  the  fatal 
battle  in  which  they  lost  their  lives.  How  wonder- 
ful to  stand  upon  the  very  site  of  these  scenes  of 
Bible  history!  The  next  place  of  interest  was 
the  site  of 

Naboth's  Vmeyard 

Naboth's  vineyard,  we  are  told,  was  ''hard  by'' 
the  palace  of  King  Ahab  (1  Kings  21:1).  So  it 
was  close  to  the  city.  The  king  was  eager  to 
secure  this  particular  place  that  he  might  use  it 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


255 


for  a  garden.  Nabotli  declined  to  sell  it,  to  the 
disappointment  of  the  wicked  monarch,  who  went 
and  lay  upon  his  bed  and  pouted.  And  then  his 
wicked  wife  Jezebel  devised  a  plan  which  resulted 
in  the  foul  murder  of  righteous  Naboth.  This 
brought  swift  judgment  upon  the  house  of  Aliab 
and  Jezebel,  predicted  by  Elijah  the  prophet  (see 
1  Kings  21:1-24).  On  the  slope  of  the  hill,  near 
the  base,  and  just  north  of  the  present  town,  is 
a  beautiful  fountain,  and  about  ten  acres  are 
watered  from  this  spring.  Here  are  the  most 
luxuriant  gardens.  This  was  pointed  out  to  us 
as  the  site  of  Naboth 's  vineyard.  From  Jezreel 
we  descended  the  mountains  eastward  and  skirted 
along  the  base  of 

Mount  Gilboa 

Mount  Gilboa  is  about  ten  miles  long,  extending 
eastward  from  the  town  of  Jezreel.  Its  present 
name  is  "Jebel  Fukua."  The  northern  slope  is 
very  steep,  while  the  southern  slope  is  more  grad- 
ual and  was  once  covered  with  forests.  This 
mount  is  famous  because  Kling  Saul  and  his  son 
Jonathan  were  slain  here  (1  Sam.  28:4,  5;  31:1-6). 
We  climbed  the  slope  of  this  mountain  and  stood 
somewhere  near  where  Saul  and  Jonathan  died. 
What  feelings  crept  over  us  as  we  traversed  the 
ground  where  these  great  tragedies  and  events 
came  to  pass !  All  this  came  upon  Saul  because 
he  obeyed  not  the  voice  of  the  Lord.  May  the 
Lord  help  us  to  be  obedient  children. 


256  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Gideon's  Fauntain 

About  three  miles  down  the  valley  from  Jezreel 
we  came  to  a  large  cave  in  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain. It  is  a  limestone  cave.  In  this  cave  is  a  very 
strong  fountain  which  flows  out  in  several  small 
streams,  and  these  unite  in  one  large  stream  that 
flows  dowli  the  valley  through  Bethshan  to  the 
Jordan.  It  was  to  this  very  fountain  and  stream 
that  Gideon  brought  ten  thousand  men  to  drink, 
the  manner  of  their  drinking  to  determine  who 
should  go  against  the  hosts  of  Midian  (Judg. 
7:3-7).  Nine  thousand  seven  hundred  bowed  down 
upon  their  knees  to  drink.  The  other  three  hun- 
dred took  up  the  water  in  their  hands  and  drank 
it.    This  was  lapping. 

These  three  hundred  composed  the  army  of 
Gideon.  *^And  the  Midianites  and  the  Amalekites 
and  all  the  children  of  the  east  lay  along  in  the 
valley  like  grasshoppers  for  multitude;  and  their 
camels  were  without  number,  as  the  sand  by  the 
seaside  for  multitude  (Judg.  7:12).  It  was  here 
that  the  Lord  gave  Israel  one  of  the  most  signal 
victories  ever  won  during  their  history.  The  full 
account  is  given  in  Judges  7.  These  Arabs  took 
fright  and  ran  down  the  valley  to  the  fords  of 
Bethabara  to  escape  over  Jordan  (Judg.  7:22-25). 
But  practically  the  entire  host,  with  their  leaders, 
were  slain. 

We  spent  some  time  here.  We  drank  from  the 
fountain.    We  traveled  over  the  battle-field  and 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


257 


made  observations.  There  are  three  large  new 
Jewish  colonies  between  here  and  Bethshan— Ain 
Harod,  Tel  Joseph,  and  Ffar  Jecheskel— besides 
twenty-two  small  settlements,  the  largest  being 
Beth  Alfa.  Most  of  the  people  of  these  colonies 
have  come  from  Europe.  By  using  modern 
methods,  they  are  irrigating  much  of  the  valley, 
and  converting  it  into  gardens  and  wheat-fields. 
Modern  pumps  are  sending  water  into  large  tanks 
and  reservoirs  on  the  side  of  Gdlboa,  and  from 
here  by  pipes  all  over  the  valley.  We  visited 
some  of  the  colonies,  and  it  was  interesting  to  see 
the  young  men  and  their  wives  working  in  the 
fields. 

Bethshan 

From  Gideon's  Fountain  we  proceeded  down 
the  valley  a  distance  of  nine  miles.  The  valley 
averages  about  three  miles  wide.  At  the  eastern 
end  we  came  to  Beisan,  a  town  of  probably  three 
thousand  inhabitants.  This  was  ancient  Bethshan. 
It  lies  a  few  miles  west  of  the  Jordan  Eiver  near 
Bethabara.  This  place  has  a  history  equaled  by 
few  places  in  the  world.  The  site  is  said  to  have 
been  occupied  for  a  longer  continuous  period  than 
has  any  other  place  of  human  habitation.  It  is 
claimed  that  before  the  death  of  Adam  some  people 
migrated  to  here  and  started  a  city.  This  is 
possible,  since  Adam  lived  almost  one  sixth  of 
the  whole  period  of  human  history,  according  to 
Usher's  chronology. 


258 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Thirteen  large  cities  have  been  built  here  dur- 
ing the  past,  one  upon  the  ruins  of  the  other.  In 
the  days  of  Joshua,  when  the  Canaanites  were  be- 
ing subdued,  the  inhabitants  of  Bethshan  were 
not  conquered.  This  city,  with  its  tributaries,  was 
allotted  to  the  tribe  of  Manasseh  (Josh.  17:11). 

Neither  did  Manasseh  drive  out  the  inhabitants 
of  Beth-shean  and  her  towns"  (Judg.  1:27).  In 
Josh.  17:12  we  read  that  **they  could  not  drive 
out  the  inhabitants  of  those  cities."  Probably 
one  reason  is  found  recorded  in  verse  16:  ^^The 
Canaanites  that  dwell  in  the  land  of  the  valley 
have  chariots  of  iron,  .  .  .  they  who  are  of  Beth- 
shean  and  her  towns." 

After  Saul  and  his  sons  were  slain  upon  Mount 
Gilboa  (1  Sam.  31:1-6),  the  Philistines  took  their 
bodies  *and  fastened  them  upon  the  wall  of  Beth- 
shan (vs.  8-12).  Then  certain  valiant  men  of 
Jabesh-Gilead  crossed  the  Jordan  and  by  night 
took  down  the  bodies,  and  carried  them  safely  to 
their  country  and  buried  them  under  a  tree  at 
Jabesh  (vs.  11-13).  After  this  they  were  removed 
and  finally  interred  between  Bethlehem  and 
Hebron.  In  ancient  times  Bethshan  was  the  most 
fought-over  spot  on  earth,  since  it  served  as  a 
gateway  between  Mesopotamia  and  Egypt,  and 
was  necessary  to  the  conquest  of  Canaan. 

For  some  time  extensive  excavations  have  been 
going  on  here  under  the  supervision  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  U.  S.  A.,  directed  by  Dr. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


259 


Clarence  Stanley  Fisher,  of  Philadelphia.  At  the 
time  we  were  there,  levels  of  six  cities  had  been 
uncovered.  At  first  they  refused  to  allow  us  on 
the  excavation-grounds;  but  when  I  told  them  that 
originally  I  was  from  Pennsylvania,  they  allowed 
us  considerable  freedom,  and  we  went  all  around 
over  the  ruins,  and  took  some  valuable  photo- 
graphs. Since  we  were  there,  I  am  informed,  the 
level  of  the  seventh  city,  Egyptian,  has  been  un- 
earthed, and  additional  valuable  discoveries  made. 
When  we  visited  the  place  they  had  found  the 
sarcophagus  of  Antiochus,  first  cousin  of  Herod 
the  Great,  the  very  man  charged  by  Herod  to 
slaughter  the  children  of  Bethlehem,  in  a  vain 
effort  to  kill  the  Christ-child.  Our  visit  there  was 
full  of  interest  and  very  enlightening. 

Bethabara 

From  Bethshan  we  went  by  carriage  to  the 
Jordan.  Our  road  took  us  along  the  Jordan  Valley 
for  several  miles.  On  the  east,  along  the  stream, 
were  the  plains  of  Gilead,  and  beyond  this  the 
Gilead  range  of  mountains.  The  entire  country 
is  wild  looking,  full  of  Bedouin  camps.  The  peo- 
ple were  as  wild  looking  as  the  country;  but  since 
we  had  mingled  much  among  this  class,  we  had 
no  reason  for  fears,  for  we  understood  how  to 
have  their  favor. 

There  are  two  main  fords  of  the  Jordan,  the 
lower  one  at  Jericho,  and  the  upper  one  in  this 


260 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


section.  It  has  been  a  question  with  scholars 
which  is  Bethabara.  The  weight  of  evidence  fa- 
vors the  upper  ford.  Conder  says  ''it  was  the 
leading  ford  of  Jordan  on  the  road  to  Gilead/* 
Of  course,  this  was  the  upper  one.  When  Gideon 
defeated  the  Midianites  on  the  plain  of  Jezreel, 
they  rushed  down  the  valley  to  cross  at  Bethabara, 
and  were  intercepted  by  the  men  of  Ephraim 
(Judg.  7:22-25).  This  clearly  locates  Bethabara 
near  the  east  end  of  the  valley  of  Jezreel.  Since 
Bethshan  was  the  principal  gateway  between  Meso- 
potamia and  Eigypt,  and  this  great  route  crossed 
the  Jordan  at  Bethabara,  it  certainly  locates  the 
place  near  that  city. 

While  John  baptized  principally  at  the  ford 
near  Jericho,  he  also  moved  up  the  stream,  and 
baptized  at  Bethabara  (John  1:28).  By  the  ex- 
pression "beyond  Jordan''  is  simply  meant  on  the 
east  side  of  the  River,  the  other  side  from  the 
Holy  Land  and  Jerusalem.  Thus  he  baptized 
people  from  the  land  of  Gilead  as  well  as  from 
Palestine.  The  waters  here  are  clear  and  beautiful, 
and  the  scenery  very  picturesque.  This  is  in 
sharp  contrast  with  the  muddy  waters  farther 
down  the  stream.  We  remained  here  about  one 
hour,  during  which  time  I  baptized  Sister  Lydia 
Nucho,  of  Na5:areth,  Palestine,  and  my  son  George. 
Armageddon 

This  term  occurs  in  Rev.  16:16,  and  denotes  the 
great  spiritual  contest  between  true  Christianity 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  261 

and  the  combined  powers  of  false  religion  that  is 
to  take  place  just  prior  to  the  second  advent  of 
Christ.  The  word  doubtless  was  derived  from 
Megiddo,  or  the  great  plain  of  Esdraelon.  Schaff 's 
Bible  Dictionary  says,  ''Armageddon— a  name  used 
figuratively  in  Rev.  16:16,  and  suggested  by  the 
great  battle-field  noted  in  the  Old  Testament  and 
now  known  as  the  plain  of  Esdraelon.''  Dr.  Adam 
Clark  says,  "Armageddon,  Mount  Megiddo,  the 
valley  of  which  was  remarkable  for  two  great 
slaughters;  one  of  the  Israelites  (2  Kings  23:  29, 
30),  the  other  of  the  Canaanites  (Judg.  4:16;  5: 
19)." 

It  is  termed  by  Josephus  "the  great  plain."  It 
extends  through  central  Palestine  eastward  and 
westward  from  the  Jordan  to  the  Mediterranean, 
a  distance  of  about  twenty-five  English  miles. 
Along  the  northern  border  are  the  mountains  of 
Galilee,  while  on  the  south  are  the  mountains  of 
Samaria.  The  width  is  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles. 
This  famous  plain  has  been  the  battle-field  of  na- 
tions from  the  ancient  times  to  the  recent,  gieat 
World  War.  One  writer  says,  "Every  nation  un- 
der heaven  has  pitched  its  tents  on  this  plain, 
and  has  beheld  its  banners  wet  with  the  dews  of 
Tabor  and  Hermon."  It  was  here  that  Barak 
and  Deborah  triumphed  over  the  Gentile  hosts 
of  Sisera,  and  the  Hebrew  prophetess  sang  her 
notable  war-song.  Here  Gideon  defeated  the  Arab 
legions  of  Midian.    Saul  and  Jonathan  fell  near 


262  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


by,  on  Mount  Gilboa,  in  a  great  battle  with  the 
Philistines.  Napoleon  overcame  the  Turkish  army 
in  this  plain,  and  the  English  defeated  them  here 
again  near  the  close  of  the  World  War. 

Next  to  Sharon,  this  is  the  most  fertile  district 
in  all  Palestine.  In  former  years  it  was  greatly 
neglected,  and  the  Arab  farmers  allowed  it  to 
grow  up  in  weeds.  At  the  present  time  there  are 
nine  Jewish  colonies  and  tw^enty-two  settlements 
scattered  over  the  plain,  and  pump-stations  are 
pumping  water  from  the  Kishon,  Gideon's  Foun- 
tain, and  from  great  wells,  for  irrigation  purposes, 
and  luxuriant  gardens,  wheat-fields,  and  new  orch- 
ards are  to  be  seen  everywhere.  Also  the  finest 
automobile  highways  are  being  completed  in  dif- 
ferent directions. 

It  was  our  privilege  to  travel  the  entire  length 
of  this  plain  from  the  Jordan  westward,  and  then 
traverse  it  in  many  directions  by  both  carriage  and 
automobile.  There  are  some  millennial  enthusiasts 
who  teach  that  some  day  all  nations  will  marshal 
their  armies  in  this  plain,  and  that  a  literal  battle 
will  ensue  here,  the  battle  of  Armageddon.  To 
begin  with,  there  is  not  room  enough  in  the  entire 
plain  to  hold  but  a  small  portion  of  the  armies  of 
earth,  and  no  such  conflict  is  foretold.  The  last 
great  conflict  is  now  on,  and  the  hosts  of  the  Lord 
are  being  marshaled  on  the  heights  of  Zion,  while 
the  false  religions  of  earth  are  gathering  in  con- 
federation to  oppose  the  truth. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


263 


Penin 

This  is  the  ancient  En-gannim,  and  is  mentioned 
in  Josh.  19:21;  21:29.  In  2  Kings  9:27  it  is  called 
the  '  ^  garden-house.  ^  ^  Its  inhabitants  now  number 
about  four  thousand.  Near  the  town  is  a  very 
strong  fountain,  and  from  this  considerable  land 
is  irrigated,  so  that  the  place  is  surrounded  with 
beautiful  gardens  and  orchards.  In  Hebrew  days 
it  bore  the  name  the  ^'Fountain  of  Gardens." 

We  visited  the  place  three  times.  Once  while  we 
were  there  the  Arabs  were  practising  fast  riding 
in  an  open  field  by  the  roadside.  They  pride  them- 
selves in  having  some  of  the  finest  steeds  in  the 
world.  Also  we  met  a  Samaritan  wedding-pro- 
cession here  that  was  very  interesting.  There  were 
probably  thirty  camels  all  in  a  line,  and  each  had 
a  sort  of  platform  strapped  to  its  back;  on  each 
camel  sat  six  women  dressed  fantastically,  and 
all  were  singing  Arabic  songs.  The  men  were 
walking  or  riding  donkeys. 

Nablus 

Nablus  is  the  ancient  Shechem,  also  called 
Sichem  and  Sychar.  It  was  our  privilege  to  be 
here  a  number  of  times,  and  we  visited  every 
place  worth  seeing.  The  present  population  is 
around  twenty  thousand.  Some  tourists  claim  its 
site  is  unrivaled  for  beauty  in  Palestine.  Dr. 
Robinson  calls  it  ^^a  scene  of  luxuriant  and  almost 
unparalleled  verdure."  Dean  Stanley  says  it  is 
**the  most  beautiful  spot  in  central  Palestine." 


264 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Two  mountains  parallel  each  other,  Gerizim  and 
Ebal,  about  one  hundred  yards  apart  at  their 
bases,  and  a  mile  and  a  half  at  their  summits. 
The  valley  between  is  noted  for  its  beauty,  and  at 
the  narrowest  part,  clinging  to  the  slope  of  Geri- 
zim, at  an  altitude  of  1,950  feet,  is  Nablus.  There 
is  an  abundant  supply  of  water,  vegetation  is  quite 
luxuriant,  and  olive-orchards,  orange-groves,  and 
palm-trees  are  all  around  in  abundance.  But  really 
this  city  and  its  surroundings  are  beautiful  only 
when  viewed  at  a  distance;  for  a  trip  along  the 
narrow  streets  and  through  the  bazaars  reveals  no 
attractiveness. 

Historically,  this  place  is  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting in  all  the  Holy  Land.  It  is  mentioned 
forty-eight  times  in  the  Bible.  It  dates  back  be- 
fore Jerusalem,  and  its  history  extends  through 
the  Scriptures  from  Abraham  to  Christ.  When 
the  patriarch  stopped  here,  ''the  Lord  appeared 
unto  Abram,  and  said.  Unto  thy  seed  will  I  give 
this  land:  and  there  builded  he  an  altar  unto  the 
Lord,  who  appeared  unto  him"  (Gen.  12:6,  7). 
It  was  here  he  worshiped  under  an  oak.  Later 
Jacob  here  erected  an  altar,  and  bought  a  parcel 
of  ground  which  he  afterwards  gave  to  his  son 
Joseph  (Gen.  33:18-20;  48:22;  Josh.  24:32;  John 
4:5).  It  was  to  Shechem  and  Dothan  that  Joseph, 
when  a  boy,  came  from  Hebron  seeking  his 
brethren.  Here  he  was  sold  and  carried  into 
Egypt.    He  was  buried  here  (Josh.  24:32).  His 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  265 


tomb  remains  to  this  day.  It  can  be  seen  between 
Nablus  and  Jacob's  well.  We  visited  the  tomb, 
and  found  it  very  interesting.  It  seems  very  clear 
from  Acts  7:15,  16  that  the  sons  of  Jacob  were 
all  interred  at  this  place. 

From  Shechem,  Jacob  moved  to  Bethel;  but  be- 
fore doing  so  he  buried  all  the  strange  gods  in  his 
company  under  an  oak-tree  (Gen.  35:1-5).  A  solemn 
dedicatory  service  of  the  whole  nation  of  Israel 
took  place  near  here.  At  another  time  Joshua 
built  an  altar  on  Mount  Ebal,  and  wrote  a  copy 
of  the  law  of  Moses,  which  he  read  to  the  children 
of  Israel  (Josh.  8:30-35).  The  history  of  this 
place  is  to  the  present  day  full  of  interest.  Justin 
Martyr  was  bom  here. 

To  visit  this  city,  with  such  a  history,  was  in- 
deed interesting  to  us.  The  staple  trade  of  the 
city  is  the  manufacture  of  soap,  and  the  bazaars 
are  well  stocked  with  native  goods.  The  in- 
habitants are  mostly  Moslem,  and  are  bitter  against 
the  incoming  Jews.  The  last  time  we  were  there 
they  took  us  to  be  Jews  and  began  to  cry, 
''Yehudy'';  but  we  responded,  ''Americana'  bait  h- 
Beirut/^  that  is,  "We  are  Americans  who  live  in 
Beirut."  We  were  then  treated  very  kindly.  The 
most  interesting  place  we  visited  was  the  Samari- 
tan quarter  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  city,  and 
their  synagog.  Here  are  two  hundred  Samaritans, 
the  direct  descendants  of  the  ancient  people  of  this 
name,  with  a  history  covering  about  2,600  years, 


266 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


bound  up  in  their  own  prejudices,  and  separate 
from  all  other  peoples  of  earth.  They  have  their 
own  copies  of  the  Pentateuch,  and  retain  their 
peculiar  forms  of  sacrifice  and  worship.  While 
empires  and  dynasties  have  risen  and  passed  away, 
these  people  still  hold  their  own,  and  retain  all 
the  marked  peculiarities  of  their  race  and  religion. 

The  great  curiosity  of  their  synagog  is  the  cele- 
brated Samaritan  codex  of  the  Pentateuch,  a  docu- 
ment which  they  claim  is  the  oldest  copy  of  the 
Scriptures  in  the  world,  written  by  the  grandson 
of  Aaron.  Here  they  have  preserved  the  original, 
while  a  comparatively  modern  copy  is  shown  to  the 
tourists.  However,  it  was  our  privilege  to  see  and 
handle  the  original,  for  which  we  were  thankful, 
and  paid  a  small  sum  of  money  gladly. 

Mount  Gerizim 

Anciently,  Gerizim  was  the  mount  of  blessing  as 
Ebal  was  the  mount  of  cursing  (Deut.  11:29;  27: 
11-13).  Its  summit  is  2,850  feet  above  sea-level. 
The  mountain  is  composed  chiefly  of  limestone 
rock,  and  has  a  large  plateau  on  the  top  covered 
with  immense  ruins,  among  which  are  those  of  a 
temple  that  was  built  as  a  rival  of  the  one  at 
Jerusalem  because  Nehemiah  refused  to  recognize 
Sanballat  as  a  true  Israelite.  This  alienation  of 
spirit  continued  until  it  became  a  proverb  that  the 
Jews  had  "no  dealing  with  the  Samaritans.^'  To 
this  day  the  small  sect  of  Samaritans  in  Nablus 
sacrifice  the  Passover  upon  this  mountain  as  pre- 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  267 


scribed  in  the  Book  of  Exodus.  It  is  the  only 
spot  on  earth  where  the  Jewish  festival  is  per- 
petuated in  its  primitive  style. 

We  climbed  to  the  summit,  from  which  we  could 
look  any  direction  as  far  as  eye  could  see.  Here 
we  stood  upon  the  very  spot  to  which  the  Samar- 
itan woman  pointed  when  she  said  to  Jesus  at 
Jacob's  Well,  "Our  fathers  worshiped  in  this 
mountain."  Between  Gerizim  and  Ebal  is  a  great 
natural  amphitheater,  or  whispering-gallery.  Farm- 
ers hold  conversations  back  and  forth  from  the 
opposite  sides.  When  half  way  down  the  moun- 
tain-side I  whistled,  and  Zahia  Aswad  and  George, 
who  were  still  at  tlie  summit,  and  my  wife,  who 
was  at  the  base,  said  it  sounded  as  though  I  was 
close  beside  them.  It  w^as  in  this  very  place  that 
Joshua  read  the  law  to  several  millions  of 
Israelites,  and  the  Levites  reechoed  the  sayings 
from  both  sides,  and  the  people  responded, 
"Amen."  Joshua  also  held  his  farewell  service 
with  the  people  at  this  place  (Josh.  24:1-26). 

Jacob's  Well 

From  Nablus  we  went  one  mile  and  a  half  on 
the  main  road  southeast,  and  here  at  the  eastern 
base  of  Gerizim,  at  the  edge  of  the  plain  of  Moreh, 
w^e  stopped  at  Jacob's  Well.  This  is  one  of  the 
few  places  in  the  Holy  Land  which  can  be  identi- 
fied with  certainty.  Christians,  Jews,  Samaritans, 
and  Mohammedans   all  agree  with  regard  to  the 


268  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


site  of  this  well.  An  immense  church  now  stands 
upon  the  place,  the  entire  enclosure  covers  two 
acres  of  land.  Upon  this  very  well  Jesus  sat 
and  delivered  the  wonderful  sermon  recorded  in 
John.  4:5-42. 

Recently  the  well  has  been  cleared  of  all  rub- 
bish, and  there  is  a  plentiful  supply  of  water  at 
all  times.  The  priest  in  charge  drew  us  a  bucket 
of  water,  and  we  drank  freely.  We  ate  our  dinner 
here,  and  kept  drinking  from  the  well  from  which 
Jacob  drank  thereof  himself,  and  his  children, 
and  his  cattle^'  (John  4:12).  We  filled  a  bottle  to 
take  back  with  us  to  America.  By  a  windlass  the 
priest  lowered  a  light  to  the  bottom  of  the  well. 
Thus  we  viewed  the  well  from  top  to  bottom,  and 
concluded  that  Yakoob'^—JsiQoh — did  a  good  job, 
and  we  were  ready  to  agree  with  the  Samaritan 
woman  that  ^'the  well  is  deep.'' 

Samaria 

The  present  name  of  Samaria  is  Sebaste.  Its 
inhabitants  probably  number  about  three  thousand. 
Nothing  remains  of  the  former  grandeur  of  the 
once  great  capital  of  Israel  but  immense  ruins, 
among  these  a  great  colonnade,  extending  over 
several  miles.  The  prophets  had  said:  ''Samaria 
shall  become  desolate;  for  she  hath  rebelled 
against  her  God''  (Hosea  13:16).  ''Therefore  I 
will  make  Samaria  as  an  heap  of  the  field,  and  as 
plantings  of  a  vineyard:  and  I  will  pour  down 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


269 


stones  thereof  into  the  valley,  and  I  will  discover 
the  foundations  thereof"  (Micah  1:6).  How  won- 
derfully all  this  has  been  fulfilled! 

The  city  was  built  by  Omri,  king  of  Israel,  and 
became  the  capital  of  the  ten  tribes  until  the  cap- 
tivity. Here  Ahab  built  the  temple  of  Baal  (1 
Kings  16:32,  33),  which  was  later  destroyed  by 
Jehu.  The  city  was  besieged  by  the  Syrians  led 
by  Ben-hadad  of  Damascus,  in  the  days  of  Elisha 
(there  is  some  interesting  reading  in  2  Kings  6, 
7  in  connection  with  the  history  of  events  which 
took  place  in  Samaria).  It  was  to  this  city  that 
Philip  came  preaching  Christ,  and  where  later 
Peter  and  John  confirmed  the  disciples  (see  Acts 
8:5-25). 

Recently  American  archeologists  have  uncovered 
many  ancient  sites,  as  the  palace  of  King  Ahab, 
and  the  temple  of  Baal.  On  April  8,  1923,  we 
spent  several  hours  visiting  these  ruins,  and  took 
valuable  photographs.  Here  also  is  the  Church 
of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  in  which  is  pointed  out 
the  tombs  of  St.  John  and  the  prophet  Obadiah. 
The  scenery  around  here  is  beautiful,  and  there 
is  no  doubt  that  in  the  days  of  the  kings  of  Israel 
it  was  a  place  of  great  magnificence. 

Mount  Ephraim 

As  we  proceeded  southward  from  Nablus  to 
Jerusalem,  the  road  skirted  along  the  base  of  the 
historical  range  of  Mount  Ephraim.    On  its  slopes 


270  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 

are  two  important  places:  Awertah,  where  are 
shown  the  tombs  of  Eleazer  and  Phinehas,  a  site 
greatly  venerated  by  Moslems  and  Samaritans; 
and  Kefr  Haris— ancient  Timnath-heres,  where 
Joshua  was  buried  (Judg.  2:9). 

Shiloh 

At  Shiloh,  Joshua  divided  the  land  among  the 
tribes,  and  here  the  tabernacle  was  reared  (Josh. 
18).  Here  the  "daughters  of  Shiloh^'  danced  in 
the  yearly  festival  (Judg.  21:19-23).  Here  dwelt 
Eli;  and  to  this  place  Hannah  came  yearly  to  the 
sacrifice,  bringing  with  her  the  "little  coat"  for 
the  boy  Samuel,  who  ministered  before  the  Lord 
(1  Sam.  2:18,  19).  Here  lived  the  wicked  sons 
of  Eli,  and  here  the  old  man  fell  back  dead  on 
learning  of  the  loss  of  the  ark  of  God.  With  the 
loss  of  the  ark,  Shiloh  lost  everything;  the  ark  was 
taken  by  the  Philistines  and  was  never  brought 
back  to  Shiloh,  and  from  that  time  on  the  city  is 
seldom  mentioned. 

The  location  of  Shiloh  is  made  clear  in  Judg. 
21:19.  "Behold,  there  is  a  feast  of  the  Lord  in 
Shiloh  yearly  in  a  place  which  is  on  the  north 
side  of  Bethel,  on  the  east  of  the  highway  that 
goeth  up  from  Bethel  to  Shechem,  and  on  the 
south  of  Lebonah."  The  present  name  of  Lebonah 
is  El-Lubban.  It  is^a  small  village  on  a  hill-top 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  main  automobile  high- 
way to  Jerusalem.  Just  south  of  it,  on  another 
hill,  are  the  ruins  of  ancient  Shiloh.    Nothing  re- 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


271 


mains  but  a  large  mound  covered  with  masses  of 
debris,  large  foundation-stones,  and  pieces  of 
broken  columns.  Fragments  denoting  former 
greatness  are  strewn  about  the  place.  To  the 
south  is  a  beautiful  plain  which  in  the  springtime 
presents  a  green  and  well-cultivated  appearance. 

Beeroth 

Beeroth  was  one  of  the  four  Hivite  cities  that 
made  a  league  with  Joshua  (Josh.  9:15-18).  It 
was  allotted  to  Benjamin  (Josh.  18:25),  and  is 
mentioned  as  the  birthplace  of  one  of  David's 
mighty  men  (2  Sam.  23:37).  Tradition  claims 
this  as  the  place  where  Joseph  and  Mary  dis- 
covered that  the  boy  Jesus  was  not  with  them  and 
turned  back  to  Jerusalem,  where  they  sought  and 
found  him  in  the  temple  (Luke  2:41-51). 

The  present  name  of  Beeroth  is  El-Bireh,  a  vil- 
lage of  eight  hundred  inhabitants.  There  is  a 
spring  of  excellent  water  here,  and  tourists  usually 
stop  to  refresh  themselves.  There  are  ruins  of 
reservoirs,  an  old  khan,  and  the  remains  of  a 
church  built  in  1146  A.  D.  My  wife  and  George 
remained  here  several  hours  while  I  walked  across 
the  hills  about  four  miles  to 

Bethel 

The  Arabic  name  for  Bethel  is  Beitin.  On  the 
way  I  met  a  number  of  wild-looking  Arabs,  and 
on  reaching  the  place  I  found  a  village  of  about 
five  hundred  Arab  Moslems.    I  first  went  to  a 


272 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


large  fountain  where  the  native  women  were  fill- 
ing their  water-pots  and  carrying  them  to  their 
homes.  I  greeted  them  in  Arabic,  and  then  follow- 
ed three  of  them  into  the  streets,  where  I  found 
the  sheik  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  native  villagers 
sitting  under  an  arbor  in  an  open  court.  They 
were  a  wild-looking  set  of  people,  and  scanned  me 
from  head  to  feet.  I  greeted  them  with  smiles 
and  ^^Nharak-sieed,  keef-halak,  keef-sucMaj  el- 
hiimdalla/'  then,  pointing  to  myself,  said  '^Amer- 
icana halt  h-Beirut/'  and  sat  down  in  the  circle 
with  them.  They  at  once  became  very  friendly, 
treated  me  with  Turkish  ucJiwa  (coffee),  then  gave 
me  a  guide,  who  took  me  all  over  the  place,  and 
showed  me  the  traditional  place  where  Jacob  slept 
and  had  the  vision  of  angels  ascending  and  descend- 
ing upon  the  ladder  (Gen.  28:10-22).  Oh,  how 
my  eyes  feasted  upon  this  historical  place  and  its 
surroundings!    The  next  place  of  interest  was 

Mizpeh 

Mizpeh  stands  on  a  solitary  mountain-peak  four 
hundred  feet  above  the  plain  of  Gibeon,  and  2,935 
feet  above  sea-level.  It  is  one  of  the  highest  points 
in  all  the  Holy  Land,  and  commands  one  of  the 
finest  views.  Thousands  of  pilgrims  have  gazed 
upon  Jerusalem  for  the  first  time  from  here.  The 
modem  village,  Neby  Samwil,  has  nothing  of  in- 
terest. The  great  national  assemblies  of  Israel 
were  once  held  here  at  Mizpeh.    ^'Then  all  the 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  273 


children  of  Israel  went  out,  and  the  congregation 
was  gathered  together  as  one  man,  from  Dan 
even  to  Beersheba,  with  the  land  of  Gilead,  unto 
the  Lord  in  Mizpeh"  (Judg.  20:1;  see  also  1 
Sam.  7:5,  6).  Saul  was  made  king  at  this  place 
(1  Sam.  10:17-24). 

Ramahy  Gibeah,  and  Nob 

Ramah  of  Benjamin,  Gibeah  of  Saul,  and  Nob 
are  close  together,  along  the  main  highway  north- 
east of  Jerusalem.  Both  Ramah  and  Gibeah  are 
on  top  of  hills  from  which  one  can  obtain  most 
splendid  views  in  any  direction.  Nob  is  identical 
with  the  present  village  of  Shafat.  Here  is  a 
ruined  tower,  and  cisterns  hewn  in  the  limestone 
rocks.  Here  in  the  time  of  Saul  the  tabernacle 
was  stationed  to  which  David  fled  (1  Sam.  21:1). 

Easter  Festival  at  Jerusalem 

During  Mjar.  29— Apr.  9,  1923  we  spent  twelve 
days  touring  southern  Palestine  by  automobile.  Dur- 
ing this  tour  we  witnessed  the  great  Easter  festival 
in  the  Holy  City.  On  Thursday  night,  March  29, 
there  was  an  elaborate  service  in  the  Garden  of 
Gethsemane  to  commemorate  Christ's  agony  there 
on  the  same  night  nineteen  centuries  ago.  The 
next  day,  Good  Friday,  we  visited  Calvary,  **the 
place  of  a  skull.''  At  2  P.  M.  our  party—  Mr. 
Therrin,  of  Beirut,  my  wife,  George,  and  I— 
climbed  to  the  top  of  the  rocky  ledge,  and  on  the 
spot,  as  near  as  we  could  judge,  where  the  cross 


274  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


stood  we  held  a  prayer-meeting  until  3  P.  M.,  the 
hour  that  Jesus  died.  Oh,  that  sacred  hour! 
Never  will  it  be  erased  from  our  minds.  Here 
on  this  same  spot,  on  the  same  day  and  hour 
nearly  two  thousand  years  ago,  Christ  gave  his 
life.  What  feelings  filled  our  hearts!  We  knelt 
there  and  wept,  and  reconsecrated  our  lives  to 
him  who  has  washed  us  in  the  blood  that  was 
shed  on  this  hill. 

In  the  morning  of  the  same  day  we  attended  a 
great  service  at  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulcher. 
During  this  feast,  thousands  of  pilgrims  come  from 
far  and  near,  and  Jerusalem  is  crowded  to  its 
capacity.  The  idolatry  we  witnessed  here  equaled 
that  we  saw  at  Rome.  Very  few  in  the  once  holy 
city  have  a  true  knowledge  of  God  through  Jesus 
Christ.  Their  religion  is  all  ceremonial.  I  be- 
lieve I  can  safely  say  that  there  is  as  little  of 
true  religion  in  Jerusalem  today  as  in  any  city 
I  ever  visited.  All  this  talk  of  a  great  revival 
in  that  country  is  absolutely  without  foundation. 

On  Saturday— the  day  Jesus  lay  in  the  tomb— 
we  attended  a  Greek  service  in  Mary's  Sepulcher, 
which  is  in  the  Yalley  of  Kidron.  The  whole 
worship  was  more  pagan  than  Christian.  From 
here  we  walked  through  the  entire  length  of  the 
Valleys  of  Jehoshaphat  and  Hinnom,  and  along 
the  way  visited  all  the  places  of  interest— the 
tombs  of  Absalom,  Zachariah,  and  St.  James,  the 
Pool  of  Siloam,  Job's  Well,  the  Field  of  Blood, 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


275 


etc.   In  the  evening  we  visited  the  German  colony. 

Sunday,  April  1,  was  Easter.  The  Protestants 
went  early  to  the  Garden  Tomb,  while  the  Roman 
Catholics  and  Gregorians  all  assembled  in  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepnlcher.  This  was  the 
greatest  of  all  the  days  for  the  Christian  popula- 
tion and  the  host  of  pilgrims  from  a  distance.  At 
10  A.  M.  we  attended  services  in  the  Christian 
Alliance  church,  and  heard  Reverend  Thompson 
preach  a  splendid  sermon  on  **The  Power  of  His 
Resurrection.''  Here  we  found  one  assembly  who 
seemed  to  have  real  spiritual  life.  We  enjoyed 
the  service  very  much. 

On  April  5  the  Russian  Greeks  held  an  elaborate 
feet-washing  service  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulcher.  A  platform  was  erected  for  the  pur- 
pose in  the  center  of  the  large  court.  There  was 
an  immense  crowd  to  witness  the  ceremony.  The 
bishop  and  twenty-four  priests  ascended  the  plat- 
form. They  were  all  attired  in  the  most  costly  and 
flashy  robes.  The  bishop  had  a  crown  of  gold 
upon  his  head,  and  his  garments  were  trimmed 
in  gold.  He  looked  like  an  ancient  king.  The  en- 
tire ceremony  was  too  long  and  complicated  to 
try  to  describe,  but  finally  the  bishop  formally 
washed  the  feet  of  twelve  priests.  There  was  no 
similarity  between  this  showy  performance  and 
the  humble  rite  that  Jesus  instituted  with  his  dis- 
ciples in  the  upper  room  the  night  of  his  betrayal. 

During  this  Easter  festival,  thousands  of  pil- 


276 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


grims  go  to  the  Jordan  River  and  bathe  in  its 
supposedly  sacred  waters.  We  had  the  privilege 
of  also  going  to  the  Jordan  at  this  special  time 
and  witnessing  the  ceremony. 

Feast  of  Moses 

At  the  same  time  the  Christians  were  celebrating 
Easter,  the  Moslems  celebrated  the  Feast  of  Moses. 
In  numbers  they  probably  exceeded  the  Christians 
ten  to  one.  The  temple  grounds  and  the  entire 
hill  from  St.  Stephen  ^s  Gate  to  Kidron  was  a 
solid  mass  of  Moslems.  While  we  were  at  Jeru- 
salem, thousands  of  them  marched  on  foot  to  their 
traditional  tomb  of  Moses  and  back  again.  Prob- 
ably ten  thousand  of  them  returned  to  the  city 
in  a  solid  body,  playing  bands,  waving  Moham- 
medan flags,  shouting,  leaping,  and  making  other 
demonstrations,  the  like  of  which  we  never  before 
witnessed.  They  had  come  on  pilgrimages  from 
a  great  distance,  and  the  city  simply  swarmed 
with  them,  dressed  in  fantastic  costumes.  For 
several  days  they  marched  the  streets  of  Jeru- 
salem beating  drums,  singing,  shouting  at  the  top 
of  their  voices  the  most  weird  noises,  leaping  into 
the  air  like  wild  men,  and  singing  peculiar-sound- 
ing songs.  We  sat  on  the  walls  of  the  city  and 
took  many  photographs. 

During  this  same  season  the  Jews  also  had  a 
feast.  So  all  Jerusalem  was  astir.  During  our 
stay  at  this  time  we  visited  everything  in  and 
around  the  city  that  is  of  interest.    We  noted 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


277 


many  changes  and  improvements  since  we  were 
here  in  1921. 

From  Jerusalem  to  Jaffa 

There  is  a  beautiful  automobile  highway  all  the 
way  from  Jerusalem  to  Jaffa.  The  distance  by 
road  is  about  forty  miles.  On  April  4,  1923,  we 
made  the  round  trip,  leaving  Jerusalem  on  the 
Jaffa  Road,  along  which  the  new  city  is  being 
built  for  several  miles  out.  We  first  passed  the 
"upper  pool,  which  is  the  highway  of  the  fuller's 
field''  (2  Kings  18:17;  Isa.  7:3).  Then  we  began 
to  descend  along  a  deep,  picturesque  valley,  pass- 
ing the  town  of  Lifta,  where  is  a  beautiful  foun- 
tain. This  is  the  site  of  ancient  Nephtoah  (Josh. 
15:9). 

About  four  and  a  half  miles  from  Jerusalem 
we  came  to  Kolonieh,  a  very  pretty  place  sur- 
rounded with  orchards,  gardens,  and  groves.  This 
is  the  Emmaus  where  Christ  w^alked  with  and 
made  himself  known  to  two  disciples  the  evening 
of  his  resurrection  (Luke  24:13-36).  We  stopped 
a  while  and  took  photographs  of  the  town  and  sur- 
roundings. 

The  next  place  of  interest  was  Ain  Karim,  a 
town  of  eight  hundred  Christians,  nestled  among 
the  hills,  and  surrounded  with  the  most  beautiful 
groves  of  olive-,  fig-,  and  other  fruit-trees.  Tradi- 
tion makes  this  the  birthplace  of  John  the  Baptist. 
To  this  place  Mjary  came  from  Nazareth  to  visit  her 
cousin  Elizabeth  three  months;  as  the  record  says. 


278  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


she  ''arose  in  those  days,  and  went  into  the  hill- 
eountry  with  haste,  into  a  city  of  Judah'^  (Luke 
1:39-57).  Just  beyond  we  came  to  Abo-Ghosh,  the 
ancient  Kiirjath-jearim,  from  where  David  brought 
the  ark  of  God  to  Jerusalem,  and  where  Uzza  was 
slain  in  putting  forth  his  hand  to  hold  the  ark 
when  the  oxen  stumbled  (1  Chronicles  13).  We 
took  much  interest  in  Anathoth,  where  Jeremiah 
was  born  (Jer.  1:1).  This  is  a  beautiful  place. 
The  surrounding  hills  are  covered  with  olive- 
groves. 

After  passing  a  number  of  other  villages  and 
some  hills  covered  with  wild  flowers,  we  came  to 
the  Valley  of  Ajalon.  Here  a  wondrous  scene 
took  place  in  the  days  of  Israel's  conquest  of 
Canaan,  when  Joshua  obtained  a  great  victory  over 
five  Amorite  kings:  *'And  he  said  in  the  sight  of 
Israel,  Sun,  stand  thou  still  upon  Gibeon;  and 
thou,  Moon,  in  the  valley  of  Ajalon.  And  the  sun 
stood  still,  and  the  moon  stayed,  until  the  people 
had  avenged  themselves  upon  their  enemies.  .  .  . 
So  the  sun  stood  still  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  and 
hasted  not  to  go  down  about  a  whole  day.  And 
there  was  no  day  like  that  before  it  or  after  it, 
that  the  Lord  hearkened  unto  the  voice  of  a  man: 
for  the  Lord  fought  for  Israel''  (Josh.  10:5-15). 
We  crossed  this  famous  valley  twice  and  photo- 
graphed different  parts  of  it. 

Our  next  stop  was  at  Eamleh,  which  medieval 
tradition  identifies  with  Arimathea,  the  home  of 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  279 


Nicodemus,  and  of  Joseph  in  whose  new  tomb 
Christ  was  laid  (Matt.  27:57-60).  The  Latin  Con- 
vent stands  on  the  site  of  the  house  of  Nicodemus. 
Arimathea  was  later  a  city  of  the  crusaders,  and 
it  suffered  in  the  wars  between  the  Franks  and 
Saladin.  In  the  time  of  the  French  invasion, 
Napoleon  made  this  his  headquarters.  Round  about 
the  town  a  person  is  impressed  with  the  loveliness 
and  fragrance  of  the  gardens  and  orchards.  There 
is  near  the  place  a  great  toWer,  the  top  of  which 
is  reached  by  120  well-worn  steps.  The  view  from 
the  top  is  very  fine.  The  plain  of  Sharon,  from 
the  mountains  of  Judea  and  Samaria  to  the  sea, 
lies  spread  out  before  you  like  a  map.  On  the 
south  is  Etkron,  and  on  the  north  is  Lydda. 

We  spent  about  one  hour  in  Ludd,  ancient  Lydda. 
The  present  population  is  about  seven  thousand, 
comprising  about  four  thousand  Moslems,  and  the 
remainder  Greek  Orthodox  with  a  very  few  Pro- 
testants. We  visited  the  Tomb  of  St.  George,  in 
the  crypt,  and  also  went  through  all  the  bazaars. 
Originally  Lydda  was  built  by  Shamed,  more  than 
1000  B.  C.  (1  Chron.  8:12;  Ezra  2:33;  NTeh.  7:37; 
11:35).  In  the  time  of  the  apostles  there  was  a 
Christian  church  here  (Acts  9:32),  and  while  Peter 
was  sojourning  with  them  Aeneas  was  healed  of 
the  palsy  (vs.  33,  34),  and  from  there  Peter  went  to 
Dorcas  at  Joppa  and  raised  her  to  life  (vs.  36-43). 

The  plain  of  Sharon  is  still  celebrated  for  its 
fertility   and   rich   pasture-land.     Under  British 


280 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


mandate  it  is  placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. Here  are  wheat-  and  barley-fields,  beautiful 
luxuriant  gardens,  great  orange-,  lemon-,  and  pome- 
granate-orchards, groves  of  cypress-  and  sycamore- 
trees.  At  present  this  is  the  most  productive  part 
of  the  entire  Holy  Land.  We  visited  one  of  the 
Jewish  agiicultural  schools  in  this  plain,  and  found 
a  large  establishment  of  houses  and  bams,  and 
several  hundred  acres  of  land  devoted  to  practical 
demonstrational  farming. 

We  next  stopped  at  the  House  of  Dorcas,  which 
they  tell  us  marks  the  spot  where  Dorcas  was  raised 
to  life.  We  also  visited  her  reputed  tomb.  A 
few  minutes  more  and  we  were  in  Jaffa,  ancient 
Joppa.  The  present  population  of  Jaffa  numbers 
about  fifty  thousand.  This  city  has  a  great  history, 
dating  from  more  than  fifteen  hundred  years  B.  C. 
Before  Israel's  day,  it  was  a  Canaanite  port.  We 
visited  every  place  of  interest,  including  the  tradi- 
tional house  of  Simon  the  tanner,  where  Peter  had 
the  house-top  vision  (Acts  9:43;  10:9-16). 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  a  short  distance  out 
of  the  city,  and  under  a  large  sycamore-tree  ate  our 
lunch.  We  spent  the  afternoon  in  Tel  Aviv.  This 
is  the  largest  and  most  prosperous  exclusively 
Jewish  city  in  Palestine.  All  houses  and  streets 
are  modern,  and  the  entire  place  has  much  the 
appearance  of  our  California  coast-towns.  We  re- 
turned to  Jerusalem  the  same  night. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


281 


Beersheba 

On  April  7  we  drove  by  automobile  from  Jeru- 
salem to  Beersheba,  a  distance  of  about  sixty-five 
miles.  Our  route  took  us  through  Bethlehem  and 
Hebron.  Leaving  Hebron,  we  passed  through  the 
\ineyards  of  Eschol.  Here  the  spies  sent  by 
Moses  cut  down  a  cluster  of  grapes  which  two 
of  them  carried  on  a  pole  back  to  the  camp  of 
Israel  (Nmn.  13:22-26).  The  entire  valley  and 
surrounding  hills  are  covered  with  vineyards.  The 
vines  are  not  on  trellises,  but  lay  flat  upon  the 
ground.  It  is  still  claimed  that  the  largest  clusters 
of  grapes  in  all  Palestine  grow  here. 

From  here  we  emerged  through  the  hills  to  Tel 
Zif,  the  ancient  Ziph  (Josh.  15:55).  From  here 
David  fled  from  Saul  to  the  wilderness  of  Maon 
(j  Sam.  23:10-25).  Next  we  came  to  Yuttah,  the 
Juttah  of  Josh.  15:55.  For  miles  here  there  is 
nothing  but  bare  hills.  We  next  passed  Dumah 
(Josh.  15:52).  About  thirteen  miles  south  of 
Hebron  we  arrived  at  Dhaheriveh,  ancient  Debir. 
Dhaheriveh  is  on  a  plateau  1,200  feet  above  Beer- 
sheba, and  2,150  above  the  sea.  It  was  the  south 
limit  of  Joshua's  first  campaign  (Josh.  10:38).  It 
was  included  in  the  inheritance  of  Caleb,  yet  be- 
longed to  Judah  (Josh.  15:13-19).    Here  were  the 

upper  springs,  and  the  nether  springs.''  The 
present  town  contains  about  two  thousand  wild, 
uncivilized  Arabs.  We  stopped  and  went  through 
the  place  and  mingled  with  the  natives.  They 


282 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


certainly  are  a  strange-looking  people;  many  of 
the  men  carried  large  swords,  and  were  strangely 
dressed.  The  women  were  very  filthy,  and  the 
houses  anything  but  clean. 

From  here  to  Beersheba  is  a  great,  dry  plain. 
There  is  not  enough  moisture  to  raise  much  grain. 
It  is  the  "south  land'^  of  the  Bible,  where  the 
patriarchs,  like  modem  Arabs,  found  pasture  for 
their  flocks.  As  a  whole,  from  Hebron  to  Beer- 
sheba is  a  poor,  desolate  country.  Since  the  World 
War,  Beersheba  has  grown  rapidly,  and  today  is 
considerably  a  modern  little  city.  A  branch  rail- 
road runs  in  from  Gaza.  There  are  many  large 
modem  buildings,  including  some  government 
houses.  In  the  open  square  is  a  large  statue  of 
General  Allenby. 

This  city  was  once  the  southern  border  of 
Canaan,  and  the  expression  "from  Dan  to  Beer- 
sheba'^ was  common  in  Israel.  Here  Abraham 
dug  his  wells,  which  the  Philistines  afterwards 
filled  with  rubbish,  and  then  Isaac  cleaned  out 
(Gen.  26:15-33).  In  all,  seven  wfeUs  have  been 
discovered.  The  "well  of  oath''  dug  by  Abraham 
(Gen.  21:31-33),  is  at  the  southern  end  of  the 
present  town.  It  is  very  large  and  deep,  and  a 
camel  is  kept  turning  the  machinery  that  pumps 
the  water.  We  drank  from  the  well,  and  filled  a 
bottle  of  water  as  a  souvenir  of  the  place.  While 
here  we  also  visited  the  large  cemetery  where 
hundreds  of  British  soldiers  who  fell  in  battle 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  283 


near  here  are  interred.  Tlie  places  referred  to 
in  this  and  previous  chapters  are  the  principal 
ones  we  visited,  but  do  not  include  all.  There  is 
scarcely  a  place  mentioned  in  the  Old  or  New 
Testament  with  reference  to  the  Holy  Land  that 
we  have  not  visited. 


SOME  OF  OUR  OBSERVATIONS 

PALESTINE 

Probably  no  country  on  earth  has  excited  so 
keen  an  interest  for  so  long  a  time  in  so  many 
nations  as  has  the  land  of  Palestine.  And  this 
is  natural.  It  will  always  hold  a  very  sacred  place 
in  the  minds  of  Christian,  Jew,  and  Mohammedan, 
because  of  what  has  occurred  there.  Every  year 
thousands  of  people  from  all  parts  of  the  world 
visit  this  land.  It  has  been  my  privilege  to  traverse 
almost  every  part  of  it  ^^from  Dan  to  Beersheba,^' 
and  I  desire  to  present  my  observations  with  un- 
prejudiced mind. 

A  SmaU  Country 

Really  Palestine  is  a  tiny  country.  Taking  it 
as  a  whole,  from  the  Mediterranean  on  the  west  to 
the  Jordan  and  Dead  Sea  on  the  east,  and  from 
the  spurs  of  Lebanon  and  Hermon  on  the  north 
to  the  desert  at  Beersheba  on  the  south,  it  is  only 
about  150  miles  long  and  from  50  to  60  miles 
broad.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  entire  area 
is  only  about  that  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey, 


284 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


U.  S.  A.,  the  area  of  which  is  8,224  square  miles. 
But  even  this  did  not  all  belong  to  ancient  Israel. 
Their  hold  on  the  s6uthem  and  northern  districts 
was  not  permanent,  while  on  the  southwest  the 
rich  plains  of  the  Philistines  were  occupied  by 
the  Israelites  only  during  a  part  of  the  reign  of 
David  and  during  the  time  of  Solomon.  This 
ancient  land  of  the  Philistines  was  about  forty 
miles  in  length  and  from  ten  to  twenty  miles  in 
width.  Think  of  it,  King  David,  in  the  highest 
days  of  his  glory,  looked  down  from  the  hill  cities 
of  Benjamin  just  north  of  Jerusalem  upon  his 
Philistine  enemies  toward  the  west  who  were  only 
twenty-five  miles  off;  and  then  turning  eastward 
he  looked  across  Jordan  to  his  Moabite  enemies 
about  the  same  distance  away! 

So,  strictly  speaking,  nearly  all  the  events  in 
the  history  of  Israel  that  are  recorded  in  the  Old 
Testament  happened  within  a  territory  little  larger 
than  the  State  of  Connecticut,  the  area  of  which 
is  about  4,800  square  miles.  A  person  traveling 
through  Palestine  is  greatly  impressed  that  it  is 
really  a  small  country.  Even  Hermon  is  outside 
the  territory  of  Israel  altogether,  and  stands  in 
the  land  of  the  Syrians.  And  Lebanon,  so  fre- 
quently mentioned  in  the  Psalms  and  Prophets,  be- 
longed to  the  ancient  Phenicians,  and  today  is  a 
part  of  Syria.  When  we  consider  the  smallness 
of  this  country,  it  seems  stra.nge  that  men  will 
spend  their  time  writing  volumes  of  literature  to 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


285 


teach  that  this  little  spot  of  earth  shall  some  day 
comprehend  Christ  ^s  supposed  earthly  kingdom. 
Why,  under  the  gospel,  should  this  tiny  land  have 
any  more  place  in  God's  great  plan  of  world-wide 
evangelization  than  all  other  places  of  the  globe! 

A  Poor  Country 

Palestine  as  a  whole  is  very  poor  in  natural  re- 
sources/ There  are  practically  no  minerals — no 
coal,  no  iron,  no  copper,  no  silver,  no  gold.  A 
few  oil-wells  have  been  discovered  in  the  Jordan 
Valley,  but  there  is  no  development  of  the  in- 
dustry. There  are  no  large  forests,  and  a  com- 
paratively small  area  is  fit  for  tillage.  The  farm- 
land is  largely  confined  to  four  plains:  Sharon, 
about  30  miles  in  length  and  from  8  to  15  in  width ; 
Philistia,  about  40  miles  long  and  from  10  to  20 
in  width;  Esdraelon,  20  miles  long  and  about  12 
wide;  and  the  Jordan  Valley,  about  66  miles  long 
and  from  1  to  12  miles  wide.  Since  the  World 
War,  millions  have  been  spent  to  restore  Pales- 
tine, and  millions  more  will  be  spent  in  the  future. 
But  even  then  it  will  never  compare  with  many 
other  countries,  as  the  United  States  of  America. 

No  Great  Revival  of  Religion 

It  has  been  reported  that  Palestine  is  about  to 
become  the  center  of  great  religious  activity,  that 
a  revival  wave  is  about  to  sweep  over  the  entire 
land,  and  that  the  returning  Jews  are  accepting 
Messiah  by  the  hundreds.    We  found  nothing  of 


286  PIONEER  EVANGELISM  ' 

the  kind.  People  are  no  nearer  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  enjoy  no  greater  privileges,  and  receive 
no  greater  blessings  from  God  in  Palestine  than 
in  any  other  part  of  the  earth.  And  why  should 
they?  Jesus  forever  settled  this  point  in  his  ser- 
mon to  the  Samaritan  woman  at  Jacob's  Well. 

Neither  in  this  mountain,  nor  yet  at  Jerusalem 
shall  men  worship  God,  but  the  *Hrue  worshipers 
shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth.*' 
The  *  Afield"  of  operations  under  the  gospel  is  not 
merely  Palestine,  but  'Hhe  worW^  (Matt.  13: 
38).  Not  a  special  spot  of  earth,  but  '^all  the 
world''  (Mark  16:15);  "all  nations"  (Matt.  28: 
19,  20)  ^^under  the  whole  heaven''  (Dan.  7:27). 
This  is  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  and  it  is  destined 
to  fill  the  ''whole  earth''  (Dan.  2:35). 

We  found  people,  generally,  no  more  inclined 
to  accept  real,  vital  salvation  than  are  those  in 
other  parts  of  the  world.  I  can  truthfully  say  that 
religion  generally  is  as  dead  and  formal  in  Pales- 
tine as  in  any  country  we  have  visited.  The  Chris- 
tian Alliance  church  in  Jerusalem  is  doing  a  good 
work,  and  a  few  Jews  are  being  converted.  But 
there  is  no  general  tidal  wave  of  spirituality  sweep- 
ing the  land,  nor  is  there  any  sign  of  it  to  come 
in  the  near  future. 


SYRIA 

Syria  is  a  much  larger  and  richer  country  than 
Palestine.    It  is  about  300  miles  long  and  from 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  287 


30  to  150  miles  in  width,  and  contains  an  area  of 
about  30,000  square  miles.  The  climate  in  both 
countries  is  about  the  same,  and  the  inhabitants 
are  about  the  same  race  of  people.  Syria  has 
larger  cities,  and  more  resources.  While  the  coun- 
try is  richer  than  Palestine,  it  is  not  being  im- 
proved and  developed  so  rapidly.  Under  British 
mandate,  Palestine  is  rapidly  forging  ahead.  In  the 
interior,  Syria  remains  much  the  same  as  anciently 
and  there  is  no  outlook  for  any  early  change  of 
customs  and  manners,  while  Palestine  is  rapidly 
becoming  modern  in  all  these  things  (the  incoming 
Jews  are  largely  responsible  for  the  change).  In 
Syria  large  caravans  of  camels  carry  the  grain 
and  produce  over  the  mountains  from  the  interior 
to  the  seaport  cities,  while  in  Palestine  today  the 
autotruck  has  almost  entirely  supplanted  this  slow 
method.  Syria  presents  a  riper  field  for  gospel 
work,  and  as  a  whole  the  people  are  more  suscep- 
tible to  the  truth. 


PRESENT  RETURN  OF  THE  JEWS  TO  THE  HOLY  LAND 

Dturing  the  twelve  days  spent  in  Jerusalem  and 
touring  lower  Palestine,  March  29— April  9,  1923, 
we  gathered  the  very  latest  facts  and  figures  ob- 
tainable, and  in  this  and  the  following  chapter 
will  present  them  with  unbiased  mind. 

The  British  Pledge 

Balfour  Declaration,  Nov.  2,  1917:  **His  Ma- 
jesty's Government  view  with  favor  the  establish- 


288  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


nient  in  Palestine  of  a  national  home  for  the  Jewish 
people,  and  will  use  their  best  endeavors  to  facil- 
itate the  achievement  of  this  object,  it  being  clearly 
understood  that  nothing  shall  be  done  which  may 
prejudice  the  civil  and  religious  rights  of  existing 
non-Jewish  communities  in  Palestine  or  the  rights 
and  political  status  enjoyed  by  Jews  in  any  other 
country. ' ' 

The  International  Guarantee 

Article  95  of  the  Treaty  of  Peace  with  Turkey: 
"The  High  Contracting  parties  agree  to  entrust, 
by  application  of  the  provisions  of  Article  22,  the 
administration  of  Palestine,  within  such  boundaries 
as  may  be  determined  by  the  Principal  Allied 
Powers,  to  a  Mandatory  to  be  selected  by  the  said 
Powers.  The  Mandatory  will  be  responsible  for 
putting  into  effect  the  declaration  originally  made 
on  Nov.  2,  1917,  by  the  British  Grovernment,  and 
adopted  by  the  other  Allied  Powers,  in  favor  of 
the  establishment  in  Palestine  of  a  national  home 
for  the  Jewish  People.'' 

Council  of  the  League  of  Nations 

In  April,  1920,  the  Supreme  Council  of  the 
Allied  Powers  ratified  the  Balfour  Declaration  at 
San  Eemo:  "Whereas,  .  .  .  the  High  Contracting 
Parties  .  .  .  agree  that  the  Mandatory  should  be 
responsible  for  the  putting  into  effect  the  declar- 
ation originally  made  on  Nov.  2,  1917,  by  the 
Government  of  His  Britannic  Majesty,  and  adopted 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  289 


by  the  other  Allied  Powers,  in  favor  of  the  estab- 
lislunent  in  Palestine  of  a  national  home  for  the 
Jewish  people.  Wheeijas  recognition  has  hereby 
been  given  to  the  historical  connection  of  the 
Jewish  people  with  Palestine  and  to  the  grounds 
for  reconstituting  their  national  home  in  that  coun- 
try. 

Congress  of  the  United  States  of  America 

Resolved,  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives of  the  United  States  of  America  in 
Congress  assembled,  that  the  United  States  of 
America  favor  the  establishment  in  Palestine  of 
a  national  home  for  the  Jewish  people.^' 

President  Harding's  Approval 

^^The  White  House, 
'  ^  Washington, 

*^May  11,  1922. 

' '  Gentlemen : 

''I  am  very  glad  to  express  my  approval  and 
hearty  sympathy  for  the  efforts  of  the  Palestine 
Foundation  Fund,  in  behalf  of  the  restoration  of 
Palestine  as  a  homeland  for  the  Jewish  people.  I 
have  always  viewed  with  an  interest,  which  I  think 
is  quite  as  much  practical  as  sentimental,  the  pro- 
posal for  the  rehabilitation  of  Palestine  and  the 
restoration  of  a  real  Jewish  nationality,  and  I 
hope  the  etforts  now  being  carried  on  in  this  and 


290  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


other  countries  in  this  behalf  may  meet  the  fullest 
measure  of  success/' 

**Very  sincerely, 

Warren  G.  Harding." 

The  foregoing  is  the  political  foundation  for  the 
present  rebuilding  and  restoration  of  Palestine  un- 
der British  mandate.  Sir  Herbert  Samuel,  a  Jew,  is 
high  commissioner,  or  governor,  of  the  Holy  Land. 
In  the  spring  of  1918,  the  Zionist  Commission, 
representing  the  Zionist  World  Organization,  took 
up  its  duties  in  Palestine.  Early  in  the  same  year 
the  Restoration  Fund,  the  financial  instrument  for 
the  work  of  colonization,  was  created,  and  in  June, 
1920,  the  Palestine  Immigration  Ftmd,  Keren 
Hayes od,  was  established  by  the  Annual  Zionist 
Conference  held  in  London. 

Immigratioii 

During  the  World  War  the  Jewish  population 
in  Palestine  was  depleted  to  around  fifty-five  thou- 
sand. Since  the  signing  of  the  mandate  it  has 
been  increased  about  thirty-five  thousand,  for  the 
very  latest  statistics  give  about  ninety  thousand 
eJews  in  the  Holy  Land.  From  February,  1919, 
to  March,  1922,  just  tw^enty-four  thousand  immi- 
grated into  Palestine,  twenty-one  thousand  of 
whom  entered  under  the  supervision  and  with  the 
assistance  of  the  Zionist  Palestine  Offices.  In 
1922,  eight  thousand  entered  as  permanent  resi- 
dents.   In  January,  1923,  1,022  entered  as  home- 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


291 


seekers.  On  Monday,  February  12,  five  hundred 
and  twenty  landed  at  the  ports  of  Jaffa  and  Haifa. 
During  1923  the  average  monthly  arrival  of  Jewish 
immigrants  reached  a  little  over  eight  hundred, 
which  means  about  ten  thousand  for  the  year.  This 
is  about  where  the  government  has  set  the  limit— 
from  ten  thousand  to  twelve  thousand  a  year. 

These  immigrants  have  been  drawn  mainly 
from  central  and  eastern  Europe.  There  are  very 
few  from  America,  and  those  who  do  go  are  usually 
glad  to  return.  At  Tel-Aviv  I  spoke  to  an  Amer- 
ican Jew  asking  how  he  liked  the  ancient  land 
of  his  fathers,  and  he  was  not  slow  to  tell  me 
that  Palestine  holds  no  attractions  for  Americans, 
and  that  about  all  of  them  were  returning.  But 
for  the  oppressed  and  persecuted  Jews  in  Poland, 
Russia,  Austria,  and  other  smaller  European 
states,  Palestine  is  attractive.  Also  some  thou- 
sands are  entering  from  Germany.  In  1922  forty- 
one  per  cent  of  Jewish  immigration  into  Palestine 
was  from  Poland,  and  only  two  per  cent  from 
the  United  States  of  America. 

From  Oct.  1,  1921,  until  Sept.  30,  1922,  the  Keren 
Hayesod  alone  spent  two  hundred  and  ninety  thou- 
sand dollars  on  Palestine  emmigration.  The  ma- 
jority of  those  entering  are  young  people  ranging 
in  age  from  eighteen  to  thirty.  It  is  claimed  that 
about  one  half  of  these  are  of  academic  education. 
Agricultural  Developments 

Since  the  signing  of  the  mandate,  the  Zionist 


292  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


movement  has  spent  several  millions  of  dollars  in 
agricultural  growth  in  Palestine.  In  1923  there 
were  about  eighty  agricultural  colonies  established 
in  different  parts  of  the  Holy  Land  with  a  popu- 
lation of  more  than  fifteen  thousand.  There  are 
nine  of  these  in  the  plains  of  Esdraelon  and  Jez- 
reel,  besides  twenty-two  small  settlements.  We 
visited  a  number  of  these  and  found  modem  houses 
and  barns  and  up-to-date  machinery  in  use,  and 
farming  carried  on  much  after  the  Western 
methods.  We  found  pumping-stations,  gasoline- 
engines  at  work,  and  the  land  irrigated,  and  being 
placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  These 
colonies  control  and  till  more  than  175,000  acres 
of  land.  The  Zionist  organization  owns  18,750 
acres  of  the  best  land  in  Palestine.  The  Jewish 
National  Fund  has  recently  purchased  an  extra 
7,000  acres,  while  in  addition  to  the  foregoing 
the  Palestine  Land  Development  Company  owns 
18,000  acres,  valued  at  seventeen  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars.  There  are  2,300  cooper- 
ative farms,  and  8,240  acres  owned  by  private  Jew- 
ish farmers.  There  are  thirty  agricultural  experi- 
ment stations  conducted  on  scientific  lines  for 
the  development  of  this  industry.  From  Oct  1, 
1921,  to  Sept.  1,  1922,  three  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars were  spent  by  the  Zion  Foundation  Fund  in 
agricultural  colonization.  Within  the  last  three 
years  more  than  one  million  trees  were  planted 
at  a  cost  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


293 


New  Cities 

Many  new  cities  are  springing  up  in  various 
parts  of  this  ancient  land.  Most  of  them  are  being 
built  in  modern  style.  Tel-Aviv,  near  Jaffa,  has 
a  population  of  twenty  thousand.  It  is  built  very 
much  like  the  coast  cities  of  California.  We  spent 
some  time  here,  and  enjoyed  the  beautiful  beach 
and  general  appearance  of  the  place.  Balforia, 
below  Nazareth,  is  a  growing  new  city,  and  not 
far  away  are  Ain  Hasod,  Givath  Ezekiel,  Gevah, 
Tel-Joseph,  East  Nuris,  Beth  Alpha,  and  Nahaleel. 
Near  the  old  town  of  Tiberias  there  is  building  a 
modern  little  city  of  four  hundred  houses,  with 
paved  streets,  named  Kijath  Samuel.  From  April 
to  December,  1922,  more  than  seventy-five  thou- 
sand people  took  the  mineral-bath  cure  at  the  Hot 
Springs  of  Tiberias.  Two  new  cities  are  going 
up  rapidly  on  the  slopes  of  Carmel,  one  named 
''Carmel,''  near  the  Jewish  Technical  School. 
General  Development 

Tremendous  changes  are  taking  place  all  over 
this  land.  A  network  of  fine  automobile  highways 
is  being  completed  in  every  direction.  New  rail- 
roads are  being  extended.  A  new  automobile-route 
is  being  completed  from  Cairo  (Egypt)  to  Bagdad 
by  way  of  Jaffa,  Haifa,  Beirut,  Damascus,  and 
the  Syrian  Desert,  and  the  entire  trip  will  be 
covered  in  sixty  hours.  This  was  planned  to  be 
in  operation  by  the  fall  of  1923.  Automobiles  of 
every  make— American,  English,  French,  German, 


294 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


and  Italian— can  be  seen  traversing  the  highways 
of  Palestine.  The  donkey  and  camel  are  rapidly 
being  pushed  to  one  side,  and  the  autotruck  is  tak- 
ing their  place.  In  Syria  the  progress  is  not  nearly 
so  rapid. 

Among  the  many  strong  banking-institutions  re- 
cently established  are  the  following:  The  Jewish 
Colonial  Trust  Company— paid-up  capital  $1,900,- 
000;  deposits  1921,  $4,350,000.  The  Anglo-Pales- 
tine Company  Limited— paid-up  capital  $1,500,000; 
deposits  1921,  $4,375,000.  During  1920,  1921,  and 
1922,  fifty  cooperative  societies  and  industrial  con- 
cerns were  founded  with  a  total  working-capital  of 
$5,000,000. 

In  the  years  1920,  1921,  and  1922  the  Zionist 
Organization  spent  in  Palestine  for  agricultural 
colonization  $1,100,000;  for  land  purchase,  $1,650,- 
000;  public  works,  $510,000;  town  colonization, 
$395,000;  education,  $1,705,000;  sanitation  and  gen- 
eral improvement,  $1,782,500;  immigration,  $740,- 
000;  national  institutions,  $370,000;  administration 
and  government,  $567,500;  investment,  $1,400,000; 
restoration  in  general  $10,000,000;  investment  in 
other  enterprises,  $5,000,000;  making  a  grand  total 
of  over  $25,000,000.  Since  the  mandate  was  signed, 
up  to  April,  1923,  about  $75,000,000  has  been  ex- 
pended in  restoring  and  rebuilding  Palestine. 

A  few  of  the  many  new  enterprises  are  the  fol- 
lowing: The  Pinehus  Rutenberg  Concession,  the 
great  power-house  being  erected  near  where  the 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


295 


Jordan  flows  out  from  the  Sea  of  Galilee  (Baron 
Edmond  Kothschild  has  already  invested  five  mil- 
lion dollars  in  this  enterprise  to  electrify  all  Pales- 
tine, and  has  pledged  another  five  million  dollars 
to  help  complete  the  scheme).  The  one-million- 
dollar  six-story  flour-mill  at  Haifa  (Baron  Roths- 
child financed  this  also).  The  Textile  Manufactur- 
ing Plant  in  Jaffa,  and  the  Silicate  Factory  in  the 
same  city,  where  bricks  and  asbestos  roof-tile  are 
manufactured.  The  Furniture  and  Cabinet  Fac- 
tory at  Jerusalem.  The  new  hotel  at  Jerusalem 
containing  five  hundred  rooms  and  two  hundred 
baths,  and  the  Carlsbad  and  Mineral  Bath-house 
at  Tiberias.  The  one-million-dollar  Technical 
College  at  Haifa,  the  Jerusalem  Jewish  Arts 
School  ^^Bezalel,''  and  the  great  Hebrew  Univer- 
sity on  Mount  Scopus,  Jerusalem,  under  Prof. 
Einstine. 

Within  the  last  three  years,  137  educational  in- 
stitutions have  been  established.  There  are  five 
hundred  Jewish  teachers  and  fourteen  thousand 
students.  In  1921-22,  $1,390,000  was  spent  on 
education.  In  Jerusalem,  Haifa,  Jaffa,  and 
Tiberias  in  two  years  seventeen  hospitals,  dis- 
pensaries, and  laboratories  have  been  erected. 
The  average  yearly  outlay  in  support  of  medical 
work  is  about  $400,000.  In  the  first  six  months  of 
1922,  $1,000,000  worth  of  goods  were  exported 
from  the  port  of  Haifa,  and  $6,500,000  worth  of 
imports  entered  the  same  harbor.    In  the  month 


296  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


of  November,  1922,  eighty  thousand  five  hundred 
cases  of  oranges  were  shipped  out  of  Palestine. 
Most  of  the  soap  imported  into  Egypt  is  from 
Palestine.  According  to  the  Palestine  Commer- 
cial Bulletin,  in  the  first  six  months  of  1922, 
1,673,237  kilos  of  household  soap  were  exported  to 
other  countries. 

I  have  presented  but  a  few  items  to  show  the 
great  changes  and  activities  that  are  going  on 
in  this  ancient  land  of  the  Bible.    Tourists  will 
never  again  see  the  Holy  Land  as  it  was  anciently, 
or  as  they  were  privileged  to  see  it  before  the 
A¥orld  War.    It  is  rapidly  being  converted  into 
a  modern  country.    But,  after  all,  the  progress 
being  made  is  no  greater  than  that  in  other  coun- 
tries.   Take  Manchuria  for  example;  and  reaUy 
the  advancement  is  greater  there  than  in  the  Holy 
Land.    It  is  simply  an  awakening  that  is  world 
wide,  a  forward  move  among  all  nations  of  the 
earth,  and  Palestine  is  marching  with  the  progress 
of  our  times.    To  claim  that  the  present  activities 
in  Palestine  are  a  wonderful  fulfilment  of  proph- 
ecy, a  sign  of  the  setting-up  of  Messiah's  kingdom 
in  that  land,  is  to  close  our  eyes  to  all  that  is 
happening  elsewhere,  and  to  magnify  the  activities 
in  this  tiny  land  clear  out  of  proportion.  After 
billions  have  been  spent  in  restoring  and  rebuild- 
ing Palestine,  it  will  never  compare  in  resources 
and  wealth  with  America,  and  many  other  coun- 
tries. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


297 


Interesting  Facts  and  Figures 

According  to  the  very  latest  statistics,  the  total 
population  of  Palestine  is  around  800,000.  Of 
this  number,  600,000  are  Arab  Moslems,  90,000 
Jew's,  84,500  Christians,  and  the  remainder  Druse, 
Samaritans,  etc.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  Arab 
population  outnumbers  the  Jews  more  than  six  to 
one.  It  is  the  plan  of  the  British  government  to 
have  Arab  and  Jew  live  side  by  side  in  friendly 
relations.  The  declaration  and  policy  in  favor  of 
^^a  Jewish  national  home"  does  not  imply  a 
driving-out  of  the  Christian  and  Moslem  popula- 
tion. On  this  point  the  Balfour  Declaration  ex- 
pressly states:  *^It  being  clearly  understood  that 
nothing  shall  be  done  which  may  prejudice  the 
civil  and  religious  rights  of  existing  non-Jewish 
communities  in  Palestine.''  At  the  present  rate 
of  Jewish  immigration  into  Palestine— ten  thou- 
sand a  year— it  will  require  about  sixty  years  be- 
fore the  Jewish  population  equals  that  of  the 
Arab  Moslem.  Having  myself  traveled  over  prac- 
tically the  entire  Holy  Land,  I  very  much  ques- 
tion whether  under  the  highest  state  of  cultiva- 
tion it  can  contain  more  than  one  or  two  million 
people. 

According  to  a  summary  of  statistics  prepared 
by  Dr.  H.  S.  Linfield,  of  the  Bureau  of  Jewish 
Social  Ee search,  and  published  in  the  American 
Jewish  Year  Book,  the  Jews  throughout  the  world 
number  15,400,000.    They  are  distributed  as  fol- 


298  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


lows:  Central  and  eastern  Europe,  9,250,000;  the 
United  States  of  America,  3,900,000;  Africa,  380,- 
000;  Asia,  580,000;  South  America,  108,000;  and 
the  remaining  1,000,000  are  distributed  in  western 
and  southern  Europe,  Australia,  Canada,  and 
Mexico. 

The  Jewish  population  of  Palestine  is  about 
only  one  sixth  of  the  total  population  of  Jews  in 
Asia.  There  are  18,000  more  Jews  in  South 
America  than  in  the  Holy  Land.  In  Greater 
New  York  there  are  about  1,500,000  Jews,  and 
in  the  entire  State  1,750,000.  This  is  about 
twenty  times  more  than  in  all  Palestine.  Think 
of  it!  There  are  more  Jews  in  New  York  City 
than  in  Asia  (including  Palestine),  Africa,  South 
America,  and  Australia  combined.  There  are  one 
hundred  and  sixty  other  American  cities  having 
a  Jewish  population  of  from  1,000  to  300,000. 
There  are  more  Jews  in  Chicago  than  in  Palestine, 
and  the  State  of  Elinois  contains  about  three  times 
as  many  while  Ohio  has  double  the  number  of 
Jews  to  be  found  in  the  Holy  Land.  Pennsyl- 
vania has  a  Jewish  population  of  322,406,  while 
California  and  Missouri  each  have  as  many  as 
are  to  be  found  in  the  ancient  land  of  their  fathers. 

At  the  present  rate  of  immigration  into  the 
Holy  Land,  and  according  to  the  limitations  set 
by  the  British  government,  it  will  require  a  hun- 
dred years  for  one  million  Jews  to  return  to  that 
country,  and  that  would  lack  five  hundred  thou- 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


299 


sand  of  being  as  many  as  are  in  New  York  City  at 
the  present  time,  and  would  be  less  than  one 
fifteenth  of  the  total  population  of  the  Jews  in 
all  the  world.  In  all  candor  and  reason  we  ask, 
How  can  the  present  small  return  of  the  oppressed 
Jews  from  a  few  countries  in  central  Europe  be 
a  wonderful  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  and  the  liar- 
binger  of  setting-up  of  Messiah  ^s  kingdom  in  Jeru- 
salem! There  is  absolutely  no  ground  for  such 
an  opinion.  The  language  of  Christ  is  still  ful- 
filled in  that  this  people  are  scattered  among  ''all 
nations:  and  Jerusalem  shall  be  trodden  down 
of  the  Gentiles,  until  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  be 
fulfilled**  (Luke  21:24),  which  marks  the  close 
of  the  Christian  era,  and  the  second  advent  of 
Christ. 


FALSE  THEORIES  REFUTED 

Throughout  the  Christian  world,  at  the  present 
time,  there  is  probably  more  speculation  over 
Palestine  than  over  any  other  spot  on  the  globe. 
It  seems  all  eyes  are  turned  on  Palestine.  There 
are  multitudes  who  expect  the  Lord  to  set  up  a 
literal  kingdom  in  Jerusalem,  make  the  Jews  the 
earth  *s  rulers,  subduing  the  Gentile  nations  under 
their  domain.  According  to  these  theorists,  the 
land  of  Palestine  is  shortly  to  be  the  center  of 
the  Lord's  activities  in  the  earth,  and  this  tiny 
country  will  comprehend  his  kingdom  reign.  In 
treating  this   subject  briefly,  I  will  present  a 


300  -      PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


number  of  propositions,  and  sustain  them  with 
the  Word  of  God. 

1.  The  promise  of  a  great  nation  as  numerous 
as  the  dust  of  the  earth  and  the  stars  of  heaven 
in  the  family  of  Abraham  (Gen.  13:14-17;  15:5,  6.) 
reached  its  literal  fulfilment  under  the  Old  Testur- 
ment  dispensation, 

^'The  Lord  your  Grod  hath  multiplied  you,  and, 
behold,  ye  are  this  day  as  the  stars  of  heaven  for 
multitude''  (Deut.  1:10,  11).  ''Thy  fathers  went 
down  into  Egypt  with  three  score  and  ten  per- 
sons; and  now  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  nmde  thee 
as  the  stars  of  heaven  for  multitude''  (Deut.  10: 
22).  ^*But  David  took  not  the  number  of  them 
from  twenty  years  old  and  under:  because  the 
Lord  had  said  he  would  increase  Israel  like  to 
the  stars  of  the  heavens"  (1  Chron.  27:23).  ''Their 
children  also  multipliedst  thou  as  the  stars  of 
heaven"  (Neh.  9:23).  Hear  King  Solomon  in  the 
height  of  his  glory:  **And  thy  servant  is  in  the 
midst  of  thy  people  which  thou  hast  chosen,  a 
great  people,  that  ca/n  not  he  numbered  nor  counted 
for  multitude"  (1  Kiings  3:8).  "Now,  O  Lord 
God,  let  thy  promise  unto  David  my  father  be 
established:  for  thou  hast  made  me  king  over  a 
people  like  the  dust  of  the  earth  in  multitude''  (2 
Chron.  1:8).  Speaking  of  the  whole  Israelitish 
nation  from  the  birth  of  Isaac  until  the  coming 
of  the  Messiah,  covering  more  than  1,500  years, 
the  writer  of  the  Hebrew  letter  assures  us,  "There- 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


fore  sprang  there  even  of  one,  and  him  as  good  as 
dead,  as  many  as  the  stars  of  the  sky  in  multi- 
tude, and  as  the  sand  which  is  by  the  seashore 
innumerable.  These  all  died  in  faith"  (Heb.  11: 
12,  13). 

In  the  face  of  these  plain  scriptures,  why  should 
we  look  for  any  future  literal  fulfilment!  It  is 
folly  to  do  so.  To  teach  that  the  fifteen  million 
Jews  who  are  now  scattered  all  over  the  world, 
and  are  citizens  of  every  nation  under  heaven, 
must  be  gathered  back  to  the  bleak  hills  of  Judea 
in  order  to  fulfil  the  promise  made  to  Abraham, 
is  without  reason,  or  any  support  whatever  in 
the  Scriptures.  In  other  words,  to  claim  there 
must  yet  be  a  literal  fulfilment  of  that  which  the 
Bible  so  plainly  declares  has  already  been  ful- 
filled, is  to  build  a  theory  upon  a  pile  of  sand. 

2.  The  possesion  of  the  literal  land  of  Canaan  by 
the  Israelite  nation  in  Old  Testament  times  fid- 
filled  the  covenant  God  made  with  Abraham  rela- 
tive to  the  inheritoAice  of  the  Jews. 

Moses  said  to  Israel,  ^'The  Lord  was  angry 
witb.  me  for  your  sakes,  and  sware  that  I  should 
not  go  over  Jordan,  and  that  I  should  not  go 
unto  that  good  land.  Which  the  Lord  thy  God 
giveth  thee  for  an  inheritance"  (Deut.  4:21).  ^'Be- 
hold, I  have  set  the  land  before  you:  go  in  and 
possess  the  land  which  the  Lord  sware  unto  your 
fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  to  give  unto 
them  and  to  their  seed  after  them"  (chap.  1:7,  8). 


302 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


In  Deut.  9:5  it  is  plainly  said  that  Israel's  posses- 
sion of  Canaan  was  the  performance  of  the  word 
which  Grod  sware  to  their  fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob.  ^^And  it  shall  be,  when  the  Lord  thy 
God  shall  have  brought  thee  into  the  land  which 
he  sware  nnto  thy  fathers,  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac, 
and  to  Jacob,  to  give  thee  great  and  goodly  cities, 
which  thou  buildedst  not,  and  houses  full  of  all 
good  things,  which  thou  filledst  not,  and  wells 
digged,  which  thou  diggedst  not,  vineyards  and 
olive-trees,  which  thou  plantedst  not;  when  thou 
shalt  have  eaten  and  be  full;  then  beware  lest 
thou  forget  the  Lord"  (Deut.  6:10-12). 

"\\nien  Moses  went  to  Egypt  to  deliver  Israel,  God 
told  him  the  time  had  come  to  fulfil  the  covenant 
with  Abraham  (Exod.  6:1-7).  To  the  Israelites 
the  Lord  then  said,  ^*I  will  bring  you  unto  the 
land,  concerning  the  which  I  did  sware  to  give 
it  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob;  and  I 
will  give  it  you  for  an  heritage"  (Exod.  6:8). 
Just  before  the  children  of  Israel  crossed  over 
Jordan  into  Canaan,  the  Lord  said  to  Joshua,  ''Now 
therefore  arise,  go  over  this  Jordan,  thou,  and  all 
this  people,  unto  the  land  which  I  do  give  to  them, 
even  to  the  children  of  Israel.  Every  place  that  the 
sole  of  your  foot  shall  tread  upon,  that  have  I 
given  unto  you.  .  .  .  From  the  wilderness  and  this 
Lebanon  even  unto  the  great  river,  the  river 
Euphrates.  .  .  .  For  unto  this  people  shalt  thou 
divide  for  an  inheritance  the  land,  which  I  sware 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


303 


unto  their  fathers  to  give  them''  (Josh.  1:1-6). 
They  went  in  and  the  land  was  divided  to  them 
for  an  inheritance,  and  in  Psalm  105  we  read 
that  this  fulfilled  the  promise  to  Abraham  regard- 
ing the  inheritance  of  the  literal  seed.  And  we 
ask,  *'Why  nof  ?  Here  is  the  decisive  answer: 
''Thou  art  the  Lord  the  God,  who  didst  chose 
Abram,  and  broughtest  him  forth  out  of  Ur  of 
the  Chaldees,  and  gavest  him  the  name  of  Abra- 
ham; .  .  .  and  madest  a  covenant  with  him  to 
give  the  land  of  the  Canaanites,  the  Hittites,  the 
Amorites,  the  Perizzites,  and  the  Jebusites,  and 
the  Grirgashites,  to  give  it,  I  say,  to  his  seed,  and 
hast  performed  thy  ivords^'  (Neh.  9:7,  8).  Here 
is  the  proof:  "Their  children  also  multipliedst 
thou  as  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  broughtest  them 
into  the  land,  concerning  which  thou  hadst  prom- 
ised to  their  fathers,  that  they  should  go  in  and 
possess  it.  So  the  children  went  in  and  possessed 
the  la/nd.  .  .  .  And  they  took  strong  cities,  and  a 
fat  land,  and  possessed  houses  full  of  all  goods, 
wells  digged,  vineyards,  and  olive-yards,  and  fruit- 
trees  in  abundance:  so  they  did  eat,  and  were 
filled,  and  became  fat,  and  delighted  themselves  in 
thy  great  goodness''  (vs.  23-25).  '' Judah  and  Israel 
were  many,  as  the  sand  which  is  by  the  sea  in 
multitude,  eating  and  drinking,  and  making  merry. 
And  Solomon  reigned  over  all  kingdoms  from  the 
river  unto  the  land  of  the  Philistines,  and  unto 
the  border  of  Egypt"  (1  Kings  4:20,  21).  ''He 


304 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


had  peace  on  all  sides  round  about  him.  And 
Judah  and  Israel  dwelt  safely,  every  man  under 
his  vine  and  under  his  fig-tree (vs.  24,  25).  It 
would  seem  that  language  could  not  be  framed 
more  clearly  and  definitely  to  teach  that  the 
promises  of  the  literal  seet^— Israel— as  a  nation 
were  all  fulfilled  in  the  Old  Testament  dispensa- 
tion. Under  the  gospel,  ^'lands''  and  specially 
favored  nations''  are  no  longer  recognized.  The 
blessings  of  this  dispensation  are  ^^to  all  people^' 
'4n  all  the  world' ^  among  ^^all  nations/'  -And 
these  blessings  are  not  literal,  as  under  the  law, 
but  spiritual  and  eternal. 

3.  Israel  and  Canaan  were  hut  types  and  shadows 
of  the  Christian  church  a/nd  its  spiritual  inheri- 
tance. 

The  law  dispensation  was  but  a  shadow  of 
good  things  to  come.''  This  includes  Israel,  its 
land  of  inheritance,  its  tabernacle,  sacrifices,  and 
services;  and  they  all  stand  in  a  typical  and 
shadowy  relation  to  the  gospel.  If  this  fact  is 
clearly  understood,  it  will  do  away  with  all  the 
vain  speculations  of  these  last  days  in  which  the 
Jew  is  set  before  us  as  a  special,  chosen,  and 
favored  seed ' '  above  other  nations ;  and  that  he 
must  travel  clear  back  to  the  barren  hills  of 
Judea  in  order  to  find  Messiah.  The  more  I  study 
the  Bible  as  a  whole,  the  more  I  am  led  to  the 
settled  conclusion  that  under  the  gospel  such  a 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  305 


thing  as  distinction  of  nations  and  places  is  not 
recognized.  The  Jew  is  no  more  to  God  than  is 
one  of  any  other  people,  and  he  stands  npon  the 
same  plane  with  the  rest;  and  Palestine,  which  was 
once  his  home,  holds  no  more  sacredness  to  the 
Almighty  than  does  America  or  any  other  spot  of 
the  earth.  The  literal  city  of  Jerusalem  is,  under 
the  gospel,  no  more  to  the  Lord  than  are  London 
and  New  York.  People  there  are  no  nearer  heaven 
than  are  those  in  any  other  part  of  the  earth;  for 
the  mere  place  gives  them  no  special  privileges 
over  others.  Jesus  forever  settled  this  point  at 
Jacob's  well,  *'The  hour  cometh,  when  ye  shall 
neither  in  this  mountain  [Gerizim],  nor  yet  at 
Jerusalem,  worship  the  Father,"  but  in  all  the 
world,  as  prophesied  by  Malachi,  "in  every  place 
incense  shall  be  offered  unto  my  name,  and  a  pure 
offering''  (Mai.  1:11),  when  men  worship  the 
Father  '4n  spirit  and  in  truth"  (John  4:21-24). 
How  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  the  gospel  to  teach 
that  the  Jews  must  be  gathered  back  to  a  certain 
defined  spot  of  earth  in  order  to  find  Christ! 

All  through  the  prophecies  the  Christian  church 
was  predicted  under  the  titles  of  Israel,"  Jeru- 
salem, **Zion,"  etc.;  and  the  blessing  of  the  gospel 
under  the  metaphors  of  Canaan,"  our  **own 
land,"  etc.  The  reason  for  this  is  apparent. 
Israel  were  a  type  of  the  church,  and  their  in- 
heritance a  shadow  of  our  spiritual  blessings  of 
full  salvation  in  Christ,    In  the  present  dispensa- 


306 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


tion  we  have  '^come  unto  Mount  Zion,  and  unto 
the  city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusa- 
lem" (Heb.  12:22),  and  this  is  not  the  literal  city 
in  Palestine,  but  "the  general  assembly  and  church 
of  the  firstborn,  which  are  written  in  heaven'' 
(v.  23).  It  is  the  universal  church  made  up  of 
saved  Jews  and  Gentiles  in  all  the  world.  Most 
of  the  prophecies  which  speak  of  the  return  of 
God's  people  back  to  Zion  and  Jerusalem  have  a 
spiritual  fulfilment  in  the  church,  and  do  not  re- 
fer to  a  literal  gathering  of  literal  Jews  to  a  literal 
land.  Those  texts  which  do  refer  to  a  literal  gather- 
ing were  fulfilled  in  the  days  of  Ezra  and  Nehe- 
miah. 

As  truly  as  literal  Canaan  was  the  inheritance 
of  the  Jew  under  the  law,  entire  sanctification,  or 
jjerfected  holiness,  is  now  the  inheritance  of  the 
*^ saints  in  light,"  who  constitute  the  spiritual  seed 
under  the  gospel.  This  inheritance  is  not  deferred 
to  a  millennium  age,  but  is  now.  "In  whom  [Christ] 
also  we  have  obtained  an  inheritance^'  (Eph.  1:16) ; 
"Giving  thanks  unto  the  Father,  which  hath  made 
us  meet  to  be  purtakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the 
saints  in  light"  (Col.  1:12).  What  is  this  inher- 
itance? "Inheritance  among  all  them  which  are 
sanctified' '  (Acts  20:32).  "Inheritance  among 
them  which  are  sanctified  by  faith  that  is  in  me" 
(Acts  26:18).  God  swore  to  Abraham  that  his 
seed  "should  be  saved  from,  and  possess  the  gate 
of  their  enemies"  and  receive  Canaan  for  an 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  307 


everlasting  possession."  Here  is  the  complete 
fulfilment.  Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel; 
for  he  hath  visited  and  redeemed  his  people,  and 
hath  raised  up  an  horn  of  salvation  for  us  in  the 
house  of  his  servant  David;  .  ,  .  we  should  be 
saved  from  our  enemies,  and  from  the  hand  of  all 
them  that  hate  us;  to  perform  the  mercy  promised 
to  our  fathers,  and  to  remember  his  holy  covena^it, 
the  oath  which  he  sware  to  our  father  Abraham, 
that  he  would  grant  UNTO  US,  that  we  being  de- 
livered out  of  the  hand  of  our  enemies  might 
serve  him  without  fear,  in  HOLINESS  and 
RIGHTEOUSNESS  before  him,  all  the  days  of 
our  life''  (Luke  1:68-75).  Holiness  is  our  "ever- 
lasting possession,"  the  land  promised  in  which 
the  seed  were  to  "dwell  forever." 

**Far  down  o'er  the  ages  a  promise  divine 
Descended  to  us  in  the  fulness  of  time: 
A  seed  should  appear  as  the  stars  of  the  heaven, 
And  they  should  inherit  a  land  to  be  given. 

**0h,  we  are  the  seed,  so  happy  and  blessed, 
That  dwell  in  the  land  of  Canaan's  holy  rest: 
Here  streams  of  pure  love  are  flowing  along, 
And  anthems  of  glory  are  sounding  in  song. 

"This  land  is  salvation  and  holiness  pure; 
We  find  it  in  Jesus,  our  title  is  sure. 
A  sweet  land  of  Beulah,  thy  glory  divine 
Forever  and  ever  unclouded  shall  shine." 

"And  if  ye  be  Christ's,  then  are  ye  Abraham's 
seed,  and  heirs  according  to  the  promise''  (Gal. 
3:29).  "Christ  hath  redeemed  us  from  the  curse 
of  the  law,  being  made  a  curse  for  us:  .  .  .  that 
the  blessing  of  Abraham  might  come  on  the  Gen- 


308 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


tiles  through  Jesus  Christ;  that  we  might  receive 
the  promise  of  the  Spirit  through  faith"  (vs.  13, 
14).  Here  Paul  positively  declares  that  "the 
promise  of  the  Spirit"  is  the  ''blessing  of  Abra- 
ham," and  that  it  has  "come  on  the  Gentiles 
through  Jesus  Christ."  This  he  identifies  with 
the  "inheritance"  given  to  Abraham  by  promise 
(vs.  14-18).  There  was  no  inheritance  promised 
in  the  covenant  but  "Canaan"  and  the  "blessing" 
which  the  apostle  by  the  authority  of  heaven  in- 
terprets to  be  ^'the  Spirit/'  "Therefore  it  is  of 
faith,  that  it  might  be  by  grace;  to  the  end  the 
promise  might  be  sure  to  all  the  seed;  not  to  that 
only  which  is  of  the  laiv,  but  to  that  also  which 
is  of  the  faith  of  Abraham;  who  is  the  father  of 
us  all"  (E/Om.  4:16).  This  shows  conclusively 
that  the  Canaan  here  promised  has  a  spiritual 
signification,  and  meets  its  complete  fulfilment 
under  the  gospel  in  the  grace  of  Grod  bestowed 
upon  us  in  Christ  Jesus.  We  receive  it  "by 
faith." 

The  writer  of  the  letter  to  the  Hebrews,  in  chap- 
ters 3  and  4,  draws  an  analogy  between  Israel  in 
the  wilderness  and  children  of  God  not  yet  wholly 
sanctified;  also  between  literal  Canaan  and  the 
glorious  spiritual  "rest"  "we  which  have  believed 
do  enter."  God  had  promised  the  children  of 
Israel  rest  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  'from  all  their 
enemies  round  about'  (Deut.  25:19).  "My  pres- 
ence shall  go  with  thee,  and  I  will  give  thee  rest" 


ON  thp:  mission  field 


309 


(Exod.  33:14).  This  was  fulfilled  under  Solo- 
mon's reign  (1  Kings  4:20-25).  The  first  gener- 
ation did  not  enter  this  land  and  rest,  because 
they  believed  not."  Of  them  he  swore,  ^'They 
shall  not  enter  into  my  rest."  ^'So  we  see  that 
they  could  not  enter  in  because  of  unbelief"  (Heb. 
3:19). 

By  exterminating  all  the  Canaanites  who  were 
born  and  bred  in  that  land,  the  children  of  Israel 
were  to  possess  the  land  and  have  rest.  How 
clear  this  foreshadows  the  complete  redemption 
we  have  in  Christ  Jesus! 

The  various  bents  of  evil— pride,  selfishness, 
jealousy,  covetousness,  carnal  anger,  etc.— are 
born  in  us.  These  are  inward  enemies.  Christ 
^'condenms  sin  in  the  flesh,"  and  ''destroys  the 
works  of  the  devil"  out  of  our  hearts;  that  is,  he 
saves  us  from  these  ''inward  foes,"  and  we  en- 
joy a  sweet,  perpetual  soul-rest— a  rest  that  gives 
"quietness  and  assurance  forever."  This  is  the 
land  of  Beuiah.  Here  "peace  is  extended  like  a 
river,"  and  the  soul  is  enabled  to  "rejoice  ever- 
more," and  "in  everything  gives  thanks."  In 
this  spiritual  Canaan  of  holiness  we  feast  upon 
"fat  things"  and  are  "satisfied."  This  so  far 
surpasses  the  experience  of  the  majority  of  pro- 
fessors, that  they  naturally  suppose  it  can  be  ob- 
tained only  in  a  future  millennium,  or  in  heaven. 
But,  thank  God,  the  redeemed  have  found  it  in 


310 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


this  life.  Believers  now  "do  enter ^'  by  faith  into 
the  Canaan  rests/' 

Oh,  how  dark  and  how  far  from  the  truth  to 
teach  that  all  this  is  yet  to  be  fulfilled  within  the 
confines  of  a  territory  not  larger  than  the  State 
of  New  Jersey— the  land  of  Palestine!  How  fool- 
ish to  suppose  that  God  will  confine  himself  to 
the  bleak  hills  of  Judea!  The  scope  of  the  gospel 
includes  every  nation  under  heaven.  Jew  and 
Gentile  alike  may  share  in  these  blessings,  which 
are  no  longer  literal,  but  spiritual. 

4.  The  only  Jew  recognized  under  the  gospel  is 
the  spiritual  seed  through  Christ,  There  are  no 
promises  to  the  literal  Jews  that  do  not  include 
the  Gentiles, 

Abraham  was  not  only  the  father  of  the  literal 
" nation (Israel),  but  the  promise  said,  "Thou 
shalt  be  the  father  of  mcmy  nations.' '  This  is 
fulfilled  in  the  Christian  dispensation.  "For  the 
promise,  that  he  should  be  the  heir  of  the  world, 
was  not  to  Abraham,  or  to  his  seed,  through  the 
law,  but  through  the  righteousness  of  faith.  Fbr 
if  they  which  are  of  the  law  be  heirs,  faith  is  made 
void,  and  the  promise  made  of  none  effect:  .  .  .  . 
Therefore  it  is  of  faith,  that  it  might  be  by  grace ; 
to  the  end  the  promise  might  be  sure  to  all  the  seed ; 
not  to  that  only  which  is  of  the  law,  but  to  that 
also  which  is  of  the  faith  of  Abraham;  who  is  the 
father  of  us  all,  (as  it  is  written,  I  have  made  thee 
a   father   of   many   nations )  "    ( Rom,   4 :13-17 ) . 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  ail 


Nothing  is  plainer  than  the  fact  so  clearly  stated 
in  this  text,  that  the  promise  of  God  to  make 
Abraham  a  father  of  many  nations  has  a  spiritual 
fulfilment  in  the  New  Testament  dispensation. 
God  is  making  all  nations  children  of  Abraham, 
by  bringing  them  into  the  faith  of  the  gospel.  I 
desire  the  reader  to  note  that  Paul  shows  clearly 
that  ^4f  they  which  are  of  the  law  be  heirs,  faith 
is  made  void,  and  the  promise  made  of  none 
effect.^'  This  most  decisively  proves  that  since 
the  passing  of  the  legal  age,  the  Jew  enjoys  no 
privilege  above  the  Gentile.  All  this  modern  talk 
about  ^'the  chosen  seed,''  ^'Jehovah's  covenant 
people,''  *'his  own  elect,"  ^^Zion,"  '^Jerusalem," 
etc.,  and  the  application  of  all  this  to  the  literal 
nation  of  the  Jews,  is  squarely  against  Paul's 
teaching.  These  terms  applied  to  Israel  under 
the  law,  but  never  under  the  gospel.  In  this  dis- 
pensation, '^he  IS  NOT  a  Jew,  which  is  one  out- 
wardly''  (Rom.  2:28).  That  is,  the  literal  seed 
counts  for  nothing.  The  only  Jew  now  recognized 
is  he  ''which  is  ON^  INWARDLY''  (v.  29).  This 
the  apostle  defines  as  'HhoAt  of  the  heart,  in  the 
spirit,  and  not  in  the  letter"  (ibid.).  A  moral 
change  wrought  in  our  hearts  by  the  Spirit  of  God 
makes  Jews  of  us  all,  and  all  such  constitute  the 
''Israel  of  God"  (Gal.  6:16).  '^For  they  are  not 
all  Israel,  which  are  of  Israel:  neither,  because 
they  are  the  seed  of  Abraham,  are  they  all  chil- 
dren: but.  In  Isaac  shall  thy  seed  be  called.  That 


312  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


iSj  They  which  are  the  children  of  the  flesh,  these 
ARE  NOT  the  children  of  God:  but  the  children 
of  the  promise  are  counted  for  the  seed'^  (Rom. 
9:6-8).  Who  are  the  children  of  the  promise? 
Here  is  Paul's  answer,  "Eiven  US,  whom  he  hath 
called,  not  of  the  Jews  only,  but  also  of  the  Gen- 
tiles'' (v.  24). 

Under  the  law,  the  Jews  were  the  Lord's 
peculiar,  chosen  people,  his  holy  nation  (Exod. 
33:16;  34:12-14;  Deut.  14:1,  2).  Since  the  pass- 
ing of  that  dispensation,  no  nation  enjoys  this 
privilege  except  the  ^'spiritual  house"  of  God, 
w^hich  is  the  church,  called  out  from  among  all 
nations  (1  Pet.  2:5);  and  of  the  Christian  church 
it  is  said,  ^'Ye  are  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal 
priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people;  .  .  . 
which  in  time  past  were  not  a  people,  but  are 
now  the  people  of  God"  (vs.  9,  10). 

National  distinctions  ceased  at  the  cross  of 
Christ.  Then  and  there  Israel  ceased  to  be  God's 
nation.  The  seventy  weeks  determined  upon  the 
Jews  and  the  sacredness  of  their  city,  foretold  in 
Dan.  9:24,  had  been  numbered,  and  since  that  time 
"they  which  are  of  faith,  the  same  are  the  chil- 
dren of  Abraham''  (Gal.  3:7).  ^'For  ye  are  all 
the  children  of  God  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus"  (v. 
26).  ^'And  if  ye  he  Christ's,  then  are  ye  Abra- 
ham's seed,  and  heirs  according  to  the  promise" 
(v.  29).  ^'Now  we,  brethren,  as  Isaac  was,  are 
the  children  of  promise"   (chap.  4:28).  Every 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  313 


convert  of  the  cross,  from  the  dawn  of  this  dis- 
pensation to  its  close,  helps  to  constitute  the  great 
spiritual  family  of  Abraham. 

The  spiritual  seed  of  Abraham  under  the  gospel 
greatly  outnumber  the  literal  seed  under  the 
law  (see  Gal.  4:27).  In  other  words,  the  new 
covenant  church  composed  of  Jews  and  Gentiles 
who  are  *^bom  of  the  Spirit,''  are  more  numerous 
than  were  the  old  covenant  church  ^'born  after  the 
flesh.''  After  this  I  beheld,  and,  lo,  a  great 
multitude,  which  no  man  could  number,  of  all  na- 
tions, and  kindreds,  and  people,  and  tongues,  stood 
before  the  throne,  and  before  the  Lamb,  clothed 
with  white  robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands"  (Rev. 
7:9). 

^^Know  ye  therefore  that  they  which  are  of 
faith,  the  same  are  the  children  of  Abraham.  And 
the  scripture,  foreseeing  that  God  would  justify 
the  heathen  through  faith,  preached  before  the 
gospel  unto  Abraham,  saying.  In  thee  shall  all 
nations  be  blessed.  So  then  they  which  be  of  faith 
are  blessed  with  faithful  Abraham"  (Gal.  3:7-9). 
^^That  the  blessing  of  Abraham  might  come  on  the 
Gentiles  through  Jesus  Christ;  that  we  might  re- 
ceive the  promise  of  the  Spirit  through  faith" 
(v.  14).  How  can  men  mistake  these  plain  state- 
ments? Christ  is  the  seed  through  whom  the  na- 
tions of  earth  were  to  be  blessed.  All  the  children 
of  faith  (both  JeWs  and  Gentiles)  are  the  seed 
to  whom  the  blessing  was  to  come.    The  Christian 


314  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


dispensation  is  '^the  times  of  the  Gentiles/'  The 
preaching  of  the  gospel  to  the  heathen  or  Gentile 
nations  during  the  current  age,  the  apostle  clearly 
declares  to  be  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  ^*In 
thee  shall  all  nations  be  blessed/'  The  number- 
less millions  who  have  been  saved  through  the 
blood  of  Christ  during  this  Holy  Spirit  dispensa- 
tion—saved from  heathen  nations  as  well  as  from 
Jews— are  ''the  children  of  faith,"  and  ""are 
blessed  with  faithful  Abraham." 

Full  salvation  is  the  blessing  promised.  ''Unto 
you  first  God,  having  raised  up  his  Son  Jesus, 
sent  him  to  bless  you,  in  turning  away  every  one 
of  you  from  his  iniquities^ ^  (Acts  3:26).  A  turn- 
ing away  from  iniquities  signifies  the  obtaining  of 
grace  to  live  a  sinless  life;  hence,  God's  oath  to 
Abraham  vouchsafes  to  us,  through  Christ,  grace 
to  "serve  him  without  fear,  in  holiness  and  right- 
eousness before  him,  all  the  days  of  our  life" 
(Luke  1:74,  75).  Paul  says  that  the  blessing  of 
Abraham  that  was  to  come  on  the  nations  through 
Christ  is  "the  promise  of  the  Spirit  through 
faith."  This  has  been  fulfilled  since  Pentecost. 
We  are  living  under  the  superior  blessings  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  dispensation. 

5.  The  conditions  of  salvation  are  the  same  to 
Jew  and  Gentile. 

"Repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  in  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ"  is  the  one  universal  requirement 
(Acts  5:31;  11:18;  Hom.  3:30).    Both  Jew  and 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


315 


Gentile  stand  upon  the  same  plane,  for  ^Hhere  is 
no  difference''  (Rom.  3:22-30).  Both  must  accept 
and  believe  the  gospel  (Rom.  1:16);  both  must 
enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven  by  the  same  door 
(Matt.  18:13;  John  3:5).  ''God  is  no  respector  of 
persons:  but  in  EVERY  NATION  he  that  feareth 
him,  and  worketh  righteousness,  is  accepted  with 
him''  (Acts  10:34,  35).  In  the  beginning  of  the 
Christian  era,  ''as  mrniy  as  RECEIVED  HIM'' 
were  born  of  God  (John  1:12,  13).  This  was 
said  of  "his  own''— the  Jews— and  the  conditions 
remain  the  same.  Unless  this  people  accept  and 
believe  on  Christ,  just  like  the  Gentiles,  they  will 
remain  in  blindness  and  darkness,  and  will  never 
be  saved. 

This  modem  idea  that  God  providentially  and 
by  a  sovereign  decree  is  going  to  gather  all  the 
Jews  to  Palestine  and  there  save  them,  has  no 
place  in  the  New  Testament  teaching.  Their  past, 
present,  and  future  hope  is  all  conditioned  on  an 
''IF."  "For  there  is  no  difference  between  the 
Jew  and  the  Greek:  for  the  same  Lord  over  all 
is  rich  unto  all  that  call  upon  him.  For  whosoever 
shall  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be 
saved"  (Rom.  10:12,13).  You  see,  the  responsi- 
bility of  their  salvation  rests  upon  their  own 
heads.  Why  were  they  blinded  and  broken  off? 
''Because  of  UNBELIEF  they  were  broken  off" 
(chap.  11:20).  On  what  conditions  will  they  be 
grafted  in  again?    "And  they  also,  IF  THEY 


316 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


ABIDE  NOT  STILL  IN  UNBELIEF,  shall  be 
grafted  in :  for  God  is  able  to  graft  them  in  again  ^ ' 
(v.  23).  God  will  not  remove  the  veil  from  their 
hearts  that  they  may  turn  to  the  Lord,  as  millen- 
nialists  teach,  but  ''When  IT  [Israel]  SHALL 
TURN  to  the  Lord,  the  veil  shall  be  taken  away^'  (2 
Cor.  3:16).  This  has  been  God's  attitude  towards 
them  all  through  the  Christian  era,  and  it  will  never 
change.  In  this  manner  ^  ^  all  Israel  shall  be  saved ' ' 
(Rom.  11:26),  on  the  same  conditions  that  ''all 
the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  remember  and  turn  to 
the  Lord"  among  the  Gentile  nations.  After  stat- 
ing that  all  Israel  shall  be  saved,  Paul  quotes  Isa. 
59:20,  saying,  ''There  shall  come  out  of  Zion  the 
Deliverer,  and  shall  turn  away  ungodliness  from 
Jacob."  Christ  is  referred  to;  and  modern  teach- 
ers, without  referring  back  to  the  prophecy,  con- 
clude that  at  some  future  time  he  will  uncondi- 
tionally "turn  away  ungodliness"  from  the  whole 
Jewish  nation,  but  they  must  return  to  Palestine 
to  enjoy  this  privilege.  Nothing  could  be  farther 
from  the  truth.  Here  is  the  text  Paul  quoted: 
"And  the  Redeemer  shall  come  to  Zion,  and  unto 
them  that  TURN  FROM  TRANSGRESSION  IN 
JACOB/'  The  idea  is,  the  Lord  will  come  and 
save  them  when  they  turn  from  their  transgres- 
sions, just  as  he  does  for  the  Gentiles. 

That  many  Jews  will  yet  be  saved  we  have  no 
doubt.  In  fact,  many  leaders  of  this  people  in 
different  parts  of  the  world  are  now  accepting 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  317 


Clirist  as  their  Messiah.  I  am  personally  ac- 
quainted with  many  of  these.  In  America  a  num- 
ber of  leading  Jews  are  Christians,  as  Maurice 
Reuben  and  his  wife,  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  and  Rev. 
Silvestine  and  his  wife,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  It  is 
an  undeniable  fact  that  there  is  a  growing  senti- 
ment among  a  great  many  Jews  in  different  parts 
of  the  world  towards  Christianity,  and  I  believe, 
as  a  church,  we  should  show  a  greater  interest  in  / 
them,  ^^that  through  your  mercy  they  also  may 
obtain  mercy (Rom.  11:31).  But  to  teach  that 
they  must  be  gathered  back  to  the  little  land  of 
Palestine,  to  the  barren,  bleak  hills  of  Judea,  in 
order  tO'  find  Christ,  and  to  teach  that  provi- 
dentially God  will  save  them  wholesale  as  a  na- 
tion different  from  the  Grentiles,  is  rank  heresy, 
and  the  whole  tenor  of  New  Testament  truth  is 
against  it.  Both  ^Hhe  fall  and  rising  again  of 
many  in  Israel'^  (Luke  2:34)  is  all  conditioned  on 
unbelief  and  faith.  If  any  number  of  Jews  accept 
Christ,  it  will  not  follow  his  second  advent,  as 
millennialists  claim,  but  precede  his  appearing 
(Luke  13:35). 

6.  The  Bible  nowhere  teaches  that  Christ  king- 
dom^ reign,  and  salvation  work^  will  ever  be  con- 
fined to  the  land  of  Palestime. 

It  was  predicted  that  in  the  Christian  dispensa- 
tion the  law  should  go  forth  from  Zion,  and  the 
word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem  (Isa.  2:3).  But 
nowhere  do  we  read  that  it  is  to  return  there. 


318 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


This  prophecy  is  applied  in  Luke  24:47.  ^'And 
that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be 
preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations ^  BEGIN- 
NING at  Jerusalem."  Mark  well  the  fact  that 
Jerusalem  was  the  place  of  ''beginning/'  but  not 
the  place  of  ending.  ^Vhen  "this  gospel  of  the 
kingdom  shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world  for  a 
witness  unto  all  nations;  then  shaU  the  end  come" 
(Matt.  24:14).  Not  a  hint  that  after  it  has  reach- 
ed all  nations  in  all  the  world,  then  it  will  return 
and  be  limited  to  the  confines  of  a  spot  of  earth 
from  20  to  40  miles  in  width,  and  about  150  miles 
in  length.  Just  take  a  world  map  and  note  the 
size  of  Palestine  compared  with  all  the  earth.  It 
is  hardly  a  dot  in  comparison.  Then  imagine  the 
great  kingdom  of  Christ  limited  to  that  small 
area,  and  confined  to  one  nation— the  Jews.  No, 
indeed;  such  a  doctrine  is  refuted  by  the  whole 
spirit  and  message  of  the  New  Testament.  Christ 
said,  ''Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me  both  in  Jeru- 
salem, and  in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  wnto 
the  uttermost  part  of  the  eai-th'*  (Acts  1:8).  The 
kingdom  of  grace  began  in  Palestine  as  a  small 
stone  "cut  out  without  hands,"  but  it  is  destined 
to  become  'a  great  mountain  and  fill  the  WHOLE 
EARTH'  (Dan.  2:34,  35).  Where  do  we  read 
that  after  all  this  it  wiU  be  reduced  to  a  little 
mole-hill  covering  the  barren  wastes  of  Palestine? 
And  why  this  tiny  country  anyway?  It  does  not 
compare  in  beauty  and  wealth  with  most  other 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  319 


countries.  It  became  the  land  of  promise  to  Israel 
only  in  order  to  fill  up  the  types  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. It  has  served  its  purpose,  and  is  no  longer 
sacred,  no  more  than  are  the  Jewish  Sabbath  and 
offerings.  Under  the  law  we  read  of  the  holy 
land,  holy  temple,  holy  altars,  holy  priests,  holy 
days,  holy  Sabbath,  holy  garments,  and  a  hundred 
other  holy  things.  But  with  the  passing  of  that 
dispensation  all  these  have  lost  their  holiness. 
Under  the  gospel,  no  one  spot  of  earth  is  better 
than  another.  The  domain  of  Christ,  instead  of 
being  limited,  and  confined  to  one  little  country,  is 
destined  to  spread  out  ''under  the  WHOLE 
HEAVEN''  (Dan.  7:27);  and  not  the  Jews  only, 
but  ''ALL  NATIONS  shall  flow  unto  it^^  (Isa. 
2:2). 

7.  The  "times  of  the  Gentiles''  mid  "fulness  of 
the  Gentiles"  does  not  imply  a  rejection  of  the 
Jews  now,  nor  an  age  of  salvation  for  them  future. 

The  judgments  of  the  Almighty  that  came  upon 
the  Jewish  nation  in  the  destruction  of  their  city, 
the  desolation  of  their  land,  their  scattering  among 
all  nations,  aud  the  blindness  in  parf  that 
happened  to  them,  they  brought  upon  themselves. 
Jesus  wept  over  Jerusalem  and  said,  '^How  often 
would  I  have  gathered''  you,  but  "ye  would  not" 
(Luke  13:34).  When  they  condemned  him  to  death, 
**then  auswered  all  the  people,  and  said.  His  blood 
be  on  us,  and  on  our  children"  (Matt.  27:25). 
They  were  so  enraged  against  the  truth  that  when 


320  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Paul  preached  to  them  ^'they  cried  out,  and  cast 
off  their  clothes,  and  threw  dust  into  the  air'^ 
(Acts  22:23).  ^^Then  Paul  and  Barnabas  waxed 
bold,  and  said.  It  was  necessary  that  the  word  of 
God  should  first  have  been  spoken  to  you:  but  see- 
ing ye  put  it  from  yon,  and  judge  yourselves  un- 
ivorthy  of  everlasting  life,  lo,  we  turn  to  the  Gen- 
tiles" (Acts  13:46).  ''The  Jews;  who  both  killed  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  their  own  prophets,  and  have 
persecuted  us;  and  they  please  not  God,  and  are 
contrary  to  all  men;  forbidding  us  to  speak  to  the 
Gentiles  that  they  might  be  saved,  to  fill  up  their 
sins  alway:  for  the  w^rath  is  come  upon  them  to 
the  uttermost"  (1  Thess.  2:14-16).  As  many  as 
accepted  Christ  were  saved,  and  these  constituted 
the  ''remnant"  (Rom.  11:5),  the  "election"  (v. 
7),  and  "the  rest  were  blinded,"  and  "broken 
off,"  "because  of  unbelief."  The  whole  blame 
lies  at  their  own  door. 

It  was  in  this  way  the  kingdom  was  taken  from 
them  and  given  to  the  Gentiles  (Matt.  21:33-45); 
not  by  a  sovereign  decree  unconditionally,  but 
because  they  as  a  nation  rendered  themselves  "un- 
worthy of  everlasting  life."  History  proves  that 
God  deals  with  nations  as  well  as  with  individuals. 
Now,  since  the  Jews  as  a  whole  (with  few  ex- 
ceptions) have  continued  in  unbelief  throughout 
the  Christian  era,  the  great  majority  of  those  who 
have  accepted  the  gospel  are  from  among  the 
Gentile  nations.   This,  then,  is  why  the  gospel  age 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


321 


is  termed  "the  times  of  the  Gentiles/'  The  Jew 
has  an  equal  privilege  with  the  Gentile,  but  be- 
cause of  his  own  stubborn  unbelief  the  ''veil  re- 
mains on  his  heart,"  and  "blindness  in  part"  will 
rest  upon  him  until  the  end  of  this  age,  which 
will  mark  "the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles/'  or  the 
time  when  the  great  harvest  of  the  Christian  era 
shall  have  been  gathered  (Rom.  11:25). 


FUTURE  OUTLOOK  FOR  THE  WORK  IN  THE  NEAR  EAST 

Syria  presents  a  ripe  field  for  the  full  gospel. 
The  Moslem  is  largely  in  the  majority,  probably 
sixty-five  per  cent  of  the  population  being  Mo- 
hammedan. The  remaining  thirty-five  per  cent  is 
made  of  Christian  and  Jew.  The  Christian  popu- 
lation is  divided  in  the  order  following:  Roman 
Catholic,  Greek  Orthodox,  Maronite,  Presbyterian, 
Congregationalist,  Greek  Catholic,  Friends,  and 
Church  of  God.  The  Druse  are  a  branch  of  the 
Moslem  religion. 

Outside  of  the  Protestant  work,  the  religion  and 
worship  is  all  formal  and  ceremonial.  These 
Eastern  established  churches  pride  themselves  in 
being  on  the  ground  floor  of  Christianity,  and 
claim  to  represent  true  religion  as  Christ  left  it. 
They  regard  a  missionary  from  America  as  a 
**new  man  with  a  new  religion  from  a  new  coun- 
try.^' They  are  not  slow  to  tell  you  that  they 
were  on  the  map  before  America  was  ever  heard 
of.   But  the  facts  are,  their  religion  is  an  apostasy 


322 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


from  primitive  Christianity,  an  external  religion, 
without  life  in  the  soul. 

In  the  country  villages  we  found  thousands  of 
hungry  souls,  including  the  chief  men,  Who  are 
sick  and  tired  of  this  dead  religion,  and  are  long- 
ing for  an  experimental  knowledge  of  Christ  in 
the  heart.  I  will  relate  one  experience  out  of 
many.  On  Aug.  14,  1922,  in  company  with  Bros. 
I.  S.  Maloof  and  Antonius  Boody,  w^  left  Kaffroon, 
Syria,  on  foot,  and  held  meetings  at  Kerrowney, 
Ameshta,  and  Aune.  We  reached  the  last  town 
about  dark  in  the  evening.  It  was  a  new  place, 
where  evangelical  Christianity  had  never  been 
preached.  We  first  went  to  the  home  of  the  pasha, 
Antonius  Kianjo,  as  he  is  the  chief  man  of  the 
city.  He  kindly  received  us,  and  gave  us  our 
supper  and  lodging  for  the  night.  He  also  sent 
out  his  servants  to  announce  a  meeting  for  us, 
and  by  eight  o'clock  several  hundred  had  gathered 
on  the  house-roofs  surrounding  the  Pasha's  home. 
His  house  stood  on  the  highest  elevation,  and  from 
the  roof  we  addressed  the  people.  After  this 
meeting,  about  fifty  gathered  in  the  house  and  re- 
quested another  sermon,  which  was  delivered.  Oh, 
how  eagerly  these  people  drank  in  the  truth!  They 
plied  us  with  questions  about  salvation  until  a 
late  hour  in  the  night.  In  the  morning,  before  we 
were  out  of  bed  the  people  began  to  gather,  among 
them  two  Greek  Orthodox  priests.  When  I  in- 
quired of  the  Pasha  why  the  people  were  coming 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


323 


so  early,  he  said,  ^'They  have  come  to  join  the 
Church  of  God,  and  I  will  be  the  first  one  to  put 
down  my  name.  We  are  sick  and  tired  of  this 
dead,  formal  religion,  and  we  know  you  have  the 
true  religion  of  the  Bible;  so  we  are  all  ready  to 
join  the  Church  of  God  before  you  depart."  Of 
course,  I  had  to  take  plenty  of  time  to  tell  them 
the  nature  of  the  church,  and  that  salvation  con- 
stitutes us  members.  This  is  one  of  the  places 
where  Brother  Boody  is  now  working.  Our  ex- 
perience at  Aune  simply  illustrates  the  condition 
of  thousands  of  towns  and  villages  all  over  Syria. 
The  people  are  ready  for  the  message  we  have 
to  give.  There  are  hundreds  of  these  towns, 
ranging  in  size  from  six  hundred  to  three  thousand 
people  each,  which  have  never  heard  the  true  gos- 
pel of  salvation.  Thus  Syria  as  a  whole  is  ready 
for  the  gospel  in  its  fulness. 

The  Protestants'  work  has  spread  over  a  large 
territory;  but  their  work  is  more  along  educational 
lines  than  evangelistic  and  soul-saving.  They 
erect  schools  and  furnish  teachers  free  to  the  vil- 
lagers, which  gives  them  great  prestige  with  the 
people,  and  proves  a  blessing  to  every  community. 
Not  unfrequently  the  Presbyterian  school-teachers, 
paid  by  their  board  in  America,  are  preachers, 
and  the  schoolhouse  is  used  also  for  church  pur- 
poses. This  not  only  gives  them  access  to  the 
children,  but  to  the  parents  as  well. 

At  Amfey,  Syria,  a  large  school-building  was 


324 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


erected  at  a  cost  of  about  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars,  and  belonging  to  it  are  ten  acres  of  land 
including  gardens  and  vineyards.  It  is  beautifully 
situated  along  the  seashore.  The  man  who  financed 
the  enterprise  was  still  in  debt  about  two  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars.  We  could  have  had  the  en- 
tire property,  which  is  worth  today  not  less  than 
thirty  thousand  dollars,  by  merely  paying  off  this 
small  debt.  It  would  make  an  ideal  church 
property,  as  well  as  school.  But  we  could  do 
nothing  for  lack  of  means.  At  Beit  Marie,  Mount 
Lebanon,  not  far  from  Beirut,  the  leading  men 
of  the  place  invited  me  to  a  meeting,  and  oifered 
to  furnish  the  school-building  and  scholars  if  I 
would  furnish  the  teachers,  and  were  willing  for 
us  to  take  the  whole  enterprise  under  the  auspices 
of  the  church  of  God.  We  had  the  teachers  (and 
good  ones)  in  Beirut,  but  for  lack  of  money  could 
not  accept  the  offer.  WTiat  an  open  door  to  reach 
the  people  of  an  entire  town  with  the  gospel,  but 
no  money  to  work  with!  I  have  mentioned  these 
two  examples  to  show  that  our  work  and  message 
is  in  demand  everywhere;  but  we  lack  the  means 
to  push  forward  as  we  should. 

We  have  a  message  for  the  Christian  popula- 
tion as  well  as  for  the  non-Christian.  We  are  the 
only  church  in  Syria  preaching  holiness  and  an 
experimental  religion,  and  this  is  exactly  what 
the  masses  are  hungry  for.  For  this  reason  the 
influence  of  our  work  is  destined  to  sweep  all  over 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


325 


that  ancient  land.  Our  movement  is  the  only  one 
that  teaches  and  practises  divine  healing.  The 
people  readily  accept  this  doctrine,  and  especially 
is  this  true  when  they  see  the  healing  power 
demonstrated  before  their  eyes.  We  have  been 
called  to  pray  for  all  the  sick  in  a  village,  and  it 
is  remarkable  what  simple  faith  these  natives  have. 

The  work  must  progress  in  the  face  of  bitter 
opposition.  This  antagonism  from  the  ecclesiasti- 
cal world  is  largely  due  to  two  things:  (1)  Because 
when  people  come  to  us  and  get  saved,  who  were 
formerly  Romaa  Catholic,  Maronite,  Greek  Ortho- 
dox, or  sprinkled  Protestant,  we  bury  them  in 
Christian  baptism;  and  to  baptize  former  Chris- 
tians^' is  to  these  churches  a  sacrilegious  act,  and 
incurs  their  most  bitter  and  united  opposition.  (2) 
Because  of  the  comity  agreement  of  the  General 
Conference  of  all  the  evangelical  churches  of  the 
Near  East  held  in  Jerusalem;  in  this  ecclesiastical 
arrangement,  Syria  was  assigned  to  the  Presby- 
terians for  the  Syrians,  and  to  the  Congregational 
Church  for  the  Armenians,  with  a  limited  field  for 
the  Friends'  Church.  The  church  of  God  was  not 
considered.  We  have  had  a  representative  work 
in  Syria  for  a  number  of  years,  and  at  the  present 
time  it  is  well  established,  and  our  message  is  in 
demand  everywhere.  Like  Christ  and  the  apostles, 
we  must  face  the  opposition,  and  press  forward 
in  the  work  of  soul-saving  till  burning  lines  of 
gospel  fire  will  spread  all  over  that  ancient  land. 


826 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


A  BRIEF  OUTLINE  OF  THE  FIELD  AND  ITS  WORKERS 

Beirut  is  the  headquarters  for  our  work  in  the 
Near  East  as  it  pertains  to  Syria,  Palestine,  and 
Mesopotamia.  Being  the  principal  coast  city,  and 
having  good  railroad  facilities,  and  automobile-lines 
running  to  all  sections,  it  is  an  ideal  center  of 
activity.  There  is  now  splendid  automobile  service 
to  IVtosul  (ancient  Nineveh),  and  to  Bagdad,  and 
to  farther  south  in  Mesopotamia,  direct  from 
Beirut.  Our  largest  congregation  of  saints  is  in 
this  city.  Despite  the  opposition,  the  attendance 
in  the  large  central  mission  is  very  good,  and  a 
goodly  number  have  been  saved  from  the  Roman 
Catholic  and  Greek  Orthodox  faiths.  Bro.  John 
D.  Ctose  and  family  are  now  located  here,  and  he 
will  have  the  general  superintendency  of  the  work 
in  Syria. 

There  are  a  number  of  local  native  workers  in 
Beirut  whom  the  Lord  is  using,  among  them  Eli 
Frenany  and  M^iss  Ruda  Jureidini.  There  is  a 
wide  field  for  cottage-meetings  in  different  parts 
of  the  city,  and  these  are  generally  well  attended. 

Zahia  Aswad,  of  Brummana,  is  a  very  efficient 
preacher  and  translator.  She  remained  with  us 
in  the  work  in  Beirut  for  one  year,  and  traveled 
as  interpreter  in  Both  Syria  and  Palestine.  She 
is  a  humble.  God-fearing  young  woman,  and  her 
friendly  manners  and  sociability  have  won  a  host 
of  friends  to  the  truth.  She  is  invaluable  to  the 
work  in  Syria. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


327 


In  Schweifat,  eight  miles  south  of  Beirut,  Asma 
Jureidini  is  doing  a  good  work.  This  is  the  place 
where  Brother  and  Sister  F.  G.  Smith  lived  almost 
two  years,  and  Sister  Bessie  Byrum  labored.  It 
is  the  city  where  our  work  was  first  established  in 
Syria.  Asma  is  an  ordained  minister,  and  is 
standing  faithful  in  defense  of  the  truths  of  this 
reformation. 

About  forty  miles  north  of  Beirut  along  the 
seashore  are  the  towns  of  Jebail,  Batroon,  Ber- 
barah,  Grarzooze,  and  Munsiff.  This  is  the  field 
that  is  being  worked  by  Najeeb  Berberi,  who  Mves 
here.  Brother  Berberi  is  giving  himself  wholly 
to  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  God  is  blessing  his 
labors  in  gathering  out  some  honest  people  into 
the  light. 

At  Tripoli  is  a  mission  well  equipped.  A  num- 
ber have  been  baptized.  Ibrihim  Shehda  Maloof 
lives  here. 

Twenty  miles  north  of  Tripoli  are  the  towns  of 
Minyara  and  Hakoor.  Here  Bro.  Shehda  Maloof 
and  I  have  held  a  number  of  meetings,  and  there 
are  several  loyal  friends  to  the  truth. 

The  Safita  district  lies  about  120  miles  north 
of  Beirut.  Bro.  Antonius  Boody,  has  charge  of 
the  work  in  this  district. 

East  of  Safita  is  Hussen  district.  Here  we 
preached  the  truth  throughout  more  than  twenty 
villages. 

Bro.  Alexander  Abdo  has  moved  from  Beirut 


328  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


to  Bagdad,  Mesopotamia,  and  has  opened  business 
in  the  city.  His  brother  Yoseph  has  also  gone 
there  to  open  the  work  of  the  Lord  in  that  ancient 
land.  These  brothers  were  both  saved  out  of  the 
lioman  Catholic  Church,  in  Beirut,  together  with 
their  father,  who  is  seventy  years  old. 

Sisters  Nellie  Laughlin  and  Adele  Jureidini  and 
Bro.  Emil  Hollander  are  located  in  Beirut,  and 
their  future  field  of  activity  depends  upon  the  fur- 
ther development  of  the  work. 


THE  ARMENIAN  WORK 

Syria  seems  to  be  a  shelter  for  the  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  Armenian  refugees  who  have  been  driven 
from  their  homes  in  Cilicia  and  the  regions  to  the 
north.  The  Near  East  Relief  has  established  very 
large  orphanages,  hospitals,  and  schools  in  various 
parts  of  Syria,  as  Jebail  and  Abraham  River.  Not 
far  from  one  hundred  thousand  of  these  unfortun- 
ates are  thus  cared  for,  educated,  and  taught  trades. 
These  are  boys  and  girls  ranging  in  age  from  six 
years  to  about  seventeen  and  eighteen,  whose  par- 
ents have  been  killed  by  the  murderous  Turks. 

But  aside  from  these,  thousands  upon  thou- 
sands of  Armenian  families  have  had  to  flee  for 
their  lives,  leaving  all  their  property  behind.  The 
harrowing  tales  these  poor  people  tell  are  heart- 
rending. In  some  cases  the  women  have  been 
ravished,  the  young  girls  ruined,  and  even  stripped 
and  robbed  of  all  clothing.    Some  time  before  we 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


329 


left  Syria,  several  thousand  were  coming  from  the 
north  towards  Aleppo,  and  were  intercepted  by 
the  Turks,  robbed  of  all  their  goods,  and  stripped 
of  all  clothing,  and  the  entire  company  of  men, 
women,  and  children  entered  Aleppo  naked.  Syria 
is  swarming  with  these  poor  refugees.  In  Beirut 
are  two  large  camps.  These  camps  present  a  ripe 
field  for  real  missionary  endeavor.  During  the 
last  year  of  our  stay  in  Syria  we  visited  these 
camps  regularly  and  held  religious  services.  These 
meetings  were  usually  held  in  the  open  air,  and 
hundreds  attended  each  service.  In  a  visit  from 
Brother  and  Sister  G.  K.  Ouzounian,  of  Cairo, 
Egypt,  during  the  summer  of  1923,  much  effective 
work  was  accomplished  among  these  people,  and 
a  number  were  baptized. 

But  Syria  has  a  goodly  number  of  the  well-to-do 
class  of  Armenians.  Many  of  the  business  houses 
of  Beirut  are  in  their  hands.  Also  a  number  of 
the  professional  men  of  the  dty,  as  physicians, 
lawyers,  etc.,  are  of  this  nation.  A  nice  little 
body  of  Armenians  of  the  better  class  help  to  make 
up  the  church  of  God  in  Syria.  They  are  much 
interested  in  and  adapted  to  doing  Sunday-school 
work.  Vaughram  and  Arexie  Salibian  are  among 
the  bright,  gifted  Armenian  workers  in  Beirut. 
Their  father  is  a  physician  in  the  city.  Soon  after 
our  arrival  in  Syria  they  were  both  sanctified,  and 
felt  a  call  to  the  work.  They  have  done  good 
work  in  organizing  Sunday-schools  among  their 


330  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


people,  and  are  eager  to  laimcli  out  and  give  their 
whole  time  to  the  Lord's  work. 

Experience  teaches  Armenians  are  better  reached 
by  ministers  of  their  own  nation.  We  greatly 
lack  Armenian  workers  in  Syria.  In  Beirut  I 
baptized  seven,  and  Brother  Ouzounian  baptized 
ten  Armenian  brethren  and  sisters.  Reports  from 
the  field  since  we  left  are  very  encouraging,  and 
the  future  outlook  is  good  for  a  fruitful  harvest 
among  these  people. 


A  SUMMARY  OF  OUR  ACTIVITIES 

In  the  two  years  and  three  months  we  spent 
in  Syria,  we  opened  two  large  central  missions  in 
Beirut  and  Tripoli.  Besides  holding  several  revi- 
vals in  these  missions,  and  taking  care  of  the  gen- 
eral work,  we  held  meetings  in  the  following  cities 
and  towns :  Aleppo,  Zachley,  Brummana,  Schweif at, 
Berbarah,  Garzooze,  Munsiff,  Minyara,  Hakoor, 
Safita,  Kaffroon,  Ameshta,  Kerroney,  Aune,  Hi- 
wash,  Kurbeit,  Bsolma,  Mzablee,  Meshtaya,  Amar, 
Cana  of  Galilee,  and  Nazareth. 

We  baptized  in  all  24  brethren  and  sisters, 
preached  499  sermons,  and  wrote  about  1,060 
letters.  We  officiated  in  about  13  marriages,  and 
made  over  500  visits.  To  God  be  all  praise  and 
glory  forever.  After  all,  I  am  very  conscious 
that  our  personal  efforts  amount  to  little  unless  the 
Holy  Spirit  assists  us.  To  the  Lord  belongs  all  the 
honor  and  glory  for  the  measure  of  success  we  had. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


331 


RETURN  TO  THE  HOMELAND 

Personally,  I  greatly  desired  to  make  Syria  and 
Palestine  my  life's  field  of  work.  My  heart  is  still 
there.  I  long  for  the  time  when  circumstances  will 
be  such  that  we  can  return  and  do  general  evange- 
listic-work in  this  field,  and  remain  for  a  long 
period  of  time.  Two  factors  entered  into  our 
home-coming:  first,  my  boy's  education,  and,  sec- 
ond, my  wife's  general  health.  The  announcement 
of  our  return  to  America  came  as  a  great  shock 
to  the  church  in  Syria.  However,  the  fact  that 
such  effijcient  workers  as  Brother  and  Sister  Crose 
and  Bro.  Emil  Hollander  were  to  take  our  place 
brought  much  comfort  to  the  brethren. 

As  our  boat  was  scheduled  to  leave  Beirut  on 
Sunday,  July  1,  1923,  my  wife  and  I  preached  our 
farewell  sermons  on  Sunday,  June  24.  A  large 
crowd  was  present,  as  saints  had  come  in  from 
various  places.  The  entire  congregation  was 
bathed  in  tears,  and  after  the  preaching  Bro.  G.  K. 
Ouzounian  and  Yoseph  Abdo  spoke  very  touching- 
ly.  After  this,  we  held  our  last  ordinance  service 
with  the  church.  The  partaking  of  the  bread  and 
cup  together  was  truly  a  sacred  and  precious 
^'communion"  service,  long  to  be  remembered. 

On  Friday,  June  29,  the  church  in  Beirut  gave 
us  a  farewell  outing.  Two  truck-loads  and  an 
automobile-load  of  saints  went  to  Dog  River  along 
the  seashore,  a  distance  of  ten  miles  north  of 
Beirut.    Here  we  spent  the  day  in  social  visiting. 


332 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


sea-bathing,  and  singing  and  praying.  At  noon  the 
good  sisters  of  the  church  spread  before  us  an 
old-fashioned  Syrian  dinner  that  would  be  hard 
to  excel.  At  5:30  P.  M.  the  following  saints  were 
buried  in  Christian  baptism:  Yoseph  Malek,  Elias 
Malek,  Jemil  Hallaby,  Elias  Kishkish,  Bsharra 
Schair,  Havokim  Ezeklian,  Isabel  Farrah,  Marie 
I'arrah,  Alexandria  Mizdelaney,  and  Fomea 
Bashoon.  This  was  a  very  solemn  and  melting  ser- 
vice. Tears  flowed  freely  as  these  precious  saints 
were  being  baptized.  This  day  shall  never  be  for- 
gotten. 

As  our  boat  was  delayed  one  day  in  sailing,  we 
held  another  farewell  service  with  the  church  on 
Sunday,  July  1.  I  spoke  on  '^A  Prosperous  Jour- 
ney." Following  this,  Bro.  Ibrihim  Sheda  Maloof 
gave  a  very  impressive  talk,  first  to  the  church 
and  then  to  us.  He  was  followed  by  Zahia  Aswad, 
Mansour  Shady,  Speredon  Hasbaney,  Mrs.  Alex- 
ander Abdo,  and  Yoseph  Abdo.  This  was  the  most 
touching  meeting  we  were  ever  in.  All  there 
wept  like  children.  The  entire  afternoon  and 
evening  and  till  a  late  hour  at  night  was  spent 
entertaining  a  host  of  neighbors  and  friends  who 
gathered  in  our  home  to  bid  us  farewell. 

From  my  diary  written  the  evening  of  our  de- 
parture, July  2,  1923,  I  quote:  *^At  last  the  day 
has  arrived,  and  we  are  about  to  start  on  our 
long  journey  home.  Two  years  and  three  months 
have  been  spent  in  this  land.    How  swiftly  time 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


333 


flies!  These  have  been  eventful  years  in  my  life; 
I  believe  among  the  very  best.  We  came  as 
strangers  to  a  strange  land;  but  we  have  endeared 
ourselves  to  a  host  of  people,  and  they  to  us,  so 
that  we  shall  leave  behind  a  great  many  as  warm 
friends  as  we  ever  found  in  the  world.  We  have 
worked  hard  and  done  our  best.  In  the  thirty 
years  of  my  ministry  I  have  never  labored  more 
diligently  than  I  have  to  build  up  the  work  of  God 
in  this  country.  The  gospel  seed  has  been  sown  in 
more  than  twenty  cities  and  towns.  Warm  friends 
have  been  won  to  the  truth  in  all  these  places.  A 
number  of  faithful  ministers  have  been  gathered 
out,  and  these  will  continue  to  spread  the  truth  in 
every  direction.  May  God  Almighty  bless  and  use 
them  to  his  glory. 

^^But  what  are  we?  Nothing.  It  is  the  Lord 
who  gives  the  increase.  To  him  belongs  all  the 
praise.  Yes,  today  is  our  last  in  Syria.  Were  it 
not  for  Wife  and  George  I  would  remain  here  for 
life,  except  to  return  home  on  furlough.  We  were 
up  early  putting  the  finishing  touches  to  our  prep- 
arations for  the  trip.  In  the  morning  we  went 
to  the  business  section  and  purchased  some  neces- 
sary supplies.  After  dinner  we  had  family  prayer 
together  for  the  last  time.  We  all  wept  like  chil- 
dren. Two  carriages  then  took  us  to  the  docks. 
Here  we  found  the  church  and  many  friends  await- 
ing us,  to  wave  their  last  farewell.  Oh,  how  sad 
was  the  parting!    My  Father  in  heaven  protect 


334  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


these  dear  saints  till  we  meet  again!  Fifteen  of 
them  accompanied  ns  to  the  ship.  At  4  P.  M.  the 
final  parting  took  place.  How  they  clung  to  us, 
weeping!  God  bless  them.  How  dear  to  our 
hearts  are  these  precious  saints !'' 

After  our  departure  the  following  was  sent  from 
the  church  in  Syria  and  published  in  the  Gospel 
Trumpet,  September  6. 


AN  APPRECIATION  FROM  SYRIA 

Tripoli,  July  5.— We  as  Syrians  are  very 
thankful  to  God  for  sending  Brother  Higgle  to 
this  country.  It  is  true  he  stayed  only  two  years, 
a  very  short  time,  but  we  feel  that  it  is  our  duty 
to  tell  what  Brother  Riggle  has  done  and  endured 
for  the  work  in  order  that  God^s  name  might  be 
praised;  and  at  the  same  time  we  want  to  thank 
our  brethren  in  America  for  their  self-denial  mani- 
fested in  sending  him  here.  The  good  results  that 
came  during  the  ministry  of  our  dear  Brother  and 
Sister  Riggle  are  due  to  their  generosity  and  their 
sacrifice  for  the  work.  I  am  sure  that  when  the 
brethren  know  about  the  good  results  obtained 
here  through  the  hard  toil  of  Brother  Riggle  they 
will  feel  justified  in  what  they  have  done  and  feel 
that  their  money  was  not  spent  uselessly. 

**Twa  years  ago  I  read  in  the  Arabic  Gospel 
Trumpet  that  a  hero  of  the  pulpit  was  coming  to 
Syria,  passing  through  Europe  and  Africa.  I  be- 
gan to  wonder  what  kind  of  man  he  was,  and 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


335 


what  he  could  accomplish  in  this  lukewarm  coun- 
try. Reports  began  to  arrive  from  Cairo  that  he 
was  holding  meetings  successfully  in  Egypt,  where 
hundreds  were  attending.  I  began  to  pity  him 
when  he  should  arrive  in  our  country,  and  I 
thought  that  his  zeal  would  die  away  when  he 
came  here  and  got  in  contact  with  our  dormant 
people.  But,  thanks  to  the  Lord,  conditions  in 
our  country  affected  Brother  Biggie  very  much 
and  made  him  put  forth  much  toil  and  effort.  The 
first  week  he  arrived  he  held  a  revival  for  one 
week.  People  came  and  went  back  interested,  be- 
cause they  heard  the  truth  explained  clearly  and  in 
an  attractive  manner.  I  myself  attended  the  meet- 
ings. He  preached  once  about  the  four  hearts. 
One  represented  people  who  were  born  with  germs 
of  sin  hidden  in  their  hearts,  having  a  tendency  to 
do  evil  things.  He  then  described  the  people  who 
were  regenerated,  and  then  the  sanctified.  All  was 
explained  by  means  of  a  chart.  That  explanation 
left  an  impression  on  my  heart  which  never  will 
be  erased.  I  went  back  to  Tripoli  and  reported  to 
our  brethren  there  what  I  had  heard  and  seen.  As 
they  longed  to  see  him  and  hear  his  preaching,  we 
agreed  one  time  to  call  him  to  come.  He  at  once 
complied  with  our  request  and  came  to  Tripoli 
and  held  cottage-meetings.  Thanks  to  the  Lord, 
the  truth  was  put  before  the  people  in  a  clear, 
persuasive  manner.  All  the  leaders  in  spiritual 
matters  attended  the  meetings  and  went  out  glad 


336 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


for  the  new  way  the  truth  was  presented  to  them. 

*'The  people  began  to  understand  real  Christian- 
ity and  how  to  be  genuine  Christian  men  and  dis- 
ciples of  Jesus  Christ.  This  kind  of  preaching 
appealed  to  every  man.  It  showed  them  that  to 
be  a  true  follower  of  Christ  does  not  depend  on 
going  through  certain  ceremonies  and  dry  forms, 
but  on  living  a  pure,  holy  life  without  blemish, 
imitating  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  following 
his  footsteps. 

^'Reports  began  to  run  far  and  wide  in  the 
country  that  a  new  preacher  was  coming  with  new 
doctrines.  Being  a  country  man  born  and  reared 
there,  I  was  begged  by  the  people  to  write  Brother 
Higgle  asking  him  to  go  there  and  preach  the  gos- 
pel. When  I  communicated  their  demand  to 
Brother  Riggle,  he  at  once  made  up  his  mind  to 
go  there,  notwithstanding  the  hardships  that  were 
awaiting  him.  Since  he  is  a  middle-aged  man  I 
felt  uneasy  about  him,  owing  to  the  hardships  and 
difficulties  before  him.  So  I  arranged  to  go  with 
him  as  an  interpreter  (thanks  to  the  Lord  for  the 
Ejnglish  language  that  gave  me  this  privilege  of 
accompanying  the  man  of  Grod  all  through  our 
trips  in  the  country).  When  we  arrived  in  the 
country  the  people  were  amazed  to  see  us  coming 
riding  on  mules  and  donkeys.  They  expected  the 
great  missionary  to  be  riding  on  a  fine  horse  bring- 
ing along  his  cook,  as  the  other  missionaries  used 
to  do.    They  came  to  me  whispering  and  asking, 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


337 


*Wliat  shall  we  feed  him?'  When  I  asked  Brother 
Kiggle,  he  said,  ^They  need  not  cook  especially  for 
me.  I  eat  from  their  food  and  anything  they  offer 
me.'  That  appealed  to  them  very  much.  He 
would  mix  with  them,  sit  on  the  mats  with  them, 
eat  their  own  food,  and  deal  with  them  as  if  he 
were  not  a  stranger,  but  one  of  them.  Whole 
villages  everywhere  turned  out  to  hear  him.  They 
expected  him  to  attack  their  doctrines  as  Protes- 
tants and  Greek  Orthodox.  But,  behold,  he  preach- 
ed the  gospel  powerfully  as  it  was  preached  a 
long  time  ago  in  the  apostolic  age.  His  preach- 
ing was  liked  by  all;  and  it  soon  gained  access 
to  their  hearts. 

^'K/cports  went  far  and  wide  about  him.  There 
rose  a  keen  demand  for  him  everywhere.  Bishops, 
priests,  and  other  ecclesiastical  persons  who  could 
not  attend,  owing  to  their  positions,  asked  me  to 
print  his  sermons  and  distribute  them  all  over  for 
the  benefit  of  those  who  could  not  hear  him.  The 
people  at  once  realized  that  Brother  Riggle  was 
going  to  make  a  change  in  their  creeds  and  doc- 
trines. Of  course,  those  who  were  after  fame 
and  wealth  did  not  like  that  change;  but  the  real, 
sincere  Christians  rejoiced  on  hearing  the  truth 
and  wished  God  to  send  more  able  men  like  him 
to  evangelize  Syria. 

*^In  the  meantime  Brother  Riggle  started  a  mis- 
sion in  Tripoli  in  order  to  make  it  a  center  of  his 
activities  in  the  surrounding  territory.    He  used 


338 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


to  go  once  every  week  and  preach  twice  there  and 
return  to  Beirut  for  other  meetings,  and  every 
now  and  then  return  to  the  country  to  preach  the 
pure  doctrines  of  the  gospel  to  the  dear  country 
men  who  always  wanted  him. 

What  Was  Accomplished 

^^The  light  of  the  gospel  penetrated  into  every 
nook  and  corner.  Through  his  efforts,  many  peo- 
ple decided  to  follow  the  Lord  all  through  their 
lives.  The  seeds  of  truth  were  scattered  every- 
where. They  need  watering  to  grow  in  due  time. 
A  body  of  real,  pure  Christian  men  was  raised 
up  during  these  two  years,  and  besides  the  major- 
ity of  people  everywhere  sympathized  with  us. 

Everybody  in  the  country  and  in  Tripoli  knows 
Brother  Eiggle  and  loves  him.  When  anybody 
from  his  acquaintances  came  to  Beirut,  Brother 
Eiggle  took  him  home,  entertained  him,  and  fed 
him  as  long  as  he  stayed. 

^'A  sister  from  the  country  who  Was  healed 
through  the  prayers  of  Brother  Eiggle,  when  on 
her  way  to  America  was  invited  by  Brother  Eiggle. 
Her  children  were  with  her.  She  stayed  ten  days. 
Before  leaving  she  wrote  to  her  people,  saying, 
*  Brother  Eiggle  has  been  as  a  real  brother  to  me 
in  every  sense  of  the  term.  Through  his  hospital- 
ity I  was  spared  much  trouble  and  expense.'  She 
insisted  that  they  should  pay  him  back.  Every- 
body who  comes  to  his  house  feels  at  home  and 
never  likes  to  leave  that  surrounding. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIP]LD 


339 


Sister  Higgle  helped  very  much  in  the  work  in 
Beirut.  She  was  his  right  hand.  They  adapted 
themselves  to  every  circumstance. 

Through  the  efforts  of  Brother  and  Sister 
Eiggle,  with  their  devotion  and  zeal  a  blazing  fire 
was  set  burning  in  the  hearts  of  the  Syrians.  It 
will  never  be  extinguished  as  long  as  we  live.  We 
were  spellbound  to  know  about  his  going.  That 
news  struck  us  as  a  thunderbolt.  It  is  one  of  the 
hardest  things  to  part  with  them.  It  is  a  pity  that 
they  should  leave,  one  of  the  misfortunes  to  Syria. 

**We  are  thankful  to  God  for  sending  real,  sin- 
cere Christians  like  Brother  and  Sister  Eiggle. 
And  you,  our  dear  brethren  across  the  sea  in 
America,  we  offer  you  our  thanks  from  the  bottom 
of  our  hearts  for  sending  us  such  a  nice  family. 
Be  sure  that  your  money  is  not  spent  in  vain.  We 
are  indebted  for  your  generosity.  It  is  through 
your  self-denial  that  we  found  out  the  truth.  Be- 
fore God  at  the  bar  of  judgment  we  shall  reward 
you  by  our  love.  At  that  time  your  talents  will 
show  that  they  were  not  hidden  in  the  ground, 
but  they  were  profitable  and  gained  precious  souls 
for  the  Master.  We  beg  you  to  keep  thinking  con- 
tinually of  poor  Syria  and  to  send  another  cap- 
able man.  May  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  send  faith- 
ful men  to  be  active  reapers  in  his  field.  On  be- 
half of  the  church  in  Syria, 

^'Ibrihim  Shehda  Maloof.'N 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


ON  BOARD  SS.  MADONNA 

At  6  P.  M.,  July  2,  1923,  our  boat,  the  SS. 
Madonna,  sailed  out  of  Beirut  Harbor  for  New 
York.  We  skirted  southward  along  the  coast, 
and  at  6  A*  M.  the  next  morning  landed  in  the 
harbor  at  Haifa,  Palestine.  Here  a  number  of 
passengers  boarded  the  ship  for  America,  among 
them  not  a  few  American  Jews.  At  2  P.  M.  our 
vessel  started  in  a  northwesterly  direction  across 
the  Mediterranean  Sea.  On  July  4,  from  5:30 
P.  M.  till  dark  we  sailed  close  along  the  coast  of 
lihodes.  A  large  city  was  built  on  this  island  500 
B.  C,  and  was  a  great  center  of  commerce,  liter- 
ature, and  art.  The  Colossus,  one  of  the  wonders 
of  the  world,  was  erected  at  its  harbor.  The  island 
is  eighteen  miles  broad  and  forty-six  miles  long. 
Paul  touched  here  on  his  return  voyage  to  Syria 
from  his  third  missionary  journey  (Acts  21:1). 

On  July  5  we  were  sailing  northward  through 
the  Aegean  Sea.  We  passed  close  to  Patmos.  It 
is  a  rocky,  barren  island,  twenty  miles  from  the 
mainland  of  Asia  Minor,  ten  miles  long  and  five 
miles  wide.  The  whole  coast  is  deeply  indented, 
the  lofty  cliffs  rise  out  of  the  sea,  the  valleys  are 
deep  and  solemn,  and  the  mountains  stand  one 
thousand  feet  above  sea-level.  Along  the  mountain- 
sides and  in  the  valleys  are  to  be  seen  palm-trees, 
olive-groves,  fig-,  mulberry-,  cypress-,  and  oak- 
trees.  About  five  thousand  Greek  Christians  now 
inhabit  this  island.    In  A.  D.  95  the  apostle  John 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


341 


was  banished  here  by  the  Emperor  Domitian,  and 
received  the  Revelation  (Rev.  1:9).  How  our 
eyes  feasted  upon  tiiis  historical  place!  In  an- 
other hour  we  were  passing  close  to  Samos  (Acts 
20:15),  and  next  Chios,  where  Paul  anchored 
(ibid.).  About  noon  we  passed  Mitylene,  where 
Paul  touched  overnight  (vs.  14,  15).  At  3:30  P.  M. 
we  entered  the  Dardanelles,  and  at  7 :30  had  passed 
through  them  into  the  Sea  of  Marmora.  The  shores 
along  the  Dardanelles  are  very  picturesque.  In 
the  strait  we  saw  many  sunken  British  ships  that 
went  down  during  the  World  War,  also  on  the 
Gallipoli  Peninsula  immense  cemeteries  of  British 
soldiers  who  fell  in  a  vain  attempt  to  capture 
Constantinople. 

On  the  morning  of  July  6  we  were  anchored  in 
the  harbor  of  Constantinople.  We  remained  here 
until  4:10  P.  M.,  when  our  boat  sailed  through  the 
Bosporus  into  the  Black  Sea.  The  scenery  along 
the  Bosporus  is  simply  grand.  The  green  hills 
were  in  sharp  contrast  with  the  bleak,  barren  hills 
of  Syria.  We  enjoyed  the  change  immensely.  At 
6:30  A.  M.,  July  7,  we  landed  at  Constanza, 
Roumania.  Here  we  remained  three  days.  We 
were  permitted  to  go  ashore,  and  enjoyed  our  visit 
to  the  place  very  much.  At  5  P.  M.  on  July  9 
we  left  for  Constantinople,  where  we  arrived  the 
following  morning  at  ten  o'clock.  We  remained 
here  two  days,  and  were  permitted  to  go  ashore. 
Wiile  here  we  visited  about  every  place  of  in- 


342 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


terest  in  the  city,  to  include  the  Golden  Horn, 
City  Park,  St.  Sophia  Mosque  (the  largest  in  the 
world,  once  a  Christian  church,  built  by  Constan- 
tine),  the  Sultans'  Tombs,  the  Sultan's  Palace,  Im- 
perial Museum,  Tomb  of  Alexander  the  Great,  and 
the  bazaars  (the  largest  in  the  world,  containing 
ten  thousand  shops).  We  were  hospitably  enter- 
tained in  the  home  of  Dr.  G.  Yeramian,  a  brother 
in  the  Lord.  This  family  showed  us  every  kind- 
ness. There  is  a  fine  Armenian  church  in  this 
great  city,  and  we  met  miost  of  them,  which  was 
a  time  of  refreshing  both  to  them  and  to  us.  Among 
their  number  is  David  Granovsky,  a  converted  Jew. 

At  9:40  A.  M.,  July  12,  we  left  Constantinople. 
Early  the  following  morning  we  entered  the  Bay 
of  Smyrna.  At  10:45  A.  M.  we  landed  at  the  city 
docks.  This  was  once  the  home  of  Polycarp,  and 
one  of  the  seven  churches  of  Asia  was  located  here 
(Rev.  2:8-11).  What  a  sight  here  met  our  gaze! 
The  once  beautiful  city  was  a  heap  of  charred 
ruins.  The  whole  Christian  and  business  section 
was  burned  out.  This  devastation  was  wrought 
by  the  Turks  when  they  captured  the  city  from 
the  Greeks.  We  were  told  by  reliable  persons  that 
Turkish  soMiers  carried  cans  of  petroleum  and 
gasoline  through  the  streets  and  threw  them  into 
the  houses.  W^e  saw  the  large  church  where  sev- 
eral hundred  Armenian  refugees  were  burned  alive. 
The  Moslem  section  of  the  city  remains  intact. 

At  noon,  July  14,  we  left  Smyrna.    At  4  P.  M. 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  343 


we  encountered  a  very  rough  sea.  While  my  wife 
and  I  were  on  the  top  deck  a  great  wave  struck 
the  boat  and  gave  us  a  complete  drenching.  The 
next  morning,  at  6:40,  we  entered  and  landed  at 
Piraeus,  the  port  of  Athens,  toeece.  Here  we 
took  an  automobile  and  at  8:40  A.  M.  were  in 
Athens.  We  visited  a  number  of  places  of  interest, 
including  the  Olympian  Zeus,  or  Temple  of  Jup- 
iter; the  Arch  of  Hadrian;  the  great  Acropolis; 
the  Areopagus,  or  Mars  Hill;  and  the  Temple  of 
Theseus,  erected  B.  0.  469.  The  sight  from  M^-rs 
Hill  is  wonderful,  as  the  whole  city  and  surround- 
ing mountains  are  in  plain  view.  What  a  privi- 
lege to  stand  upon  this  spot  where  Paul  delivered 
the  memorable  sermon  recorded  in  Acts  17:16-34! 
After  our  visit  to  Athens  we  returned  to  the  boat, 
and  at  2  P.  M.  sailed  away  towards  Italy.  The 
scenery  along  the  southern  coast  of  Greece  was 
most  beautiful  and  majestic. 

At  11:20  A.  M.,  July  17,  we  landed  at  Naples, 
Italy.  Here  the  ship  took  on  coal,  as  this  was  the 
last  stop  to  New  York.  From  Naples  westward 
we  had  three  days  smooth  sailing  through  the 
Mediterranean  Sea.  After  We  passed  through  the 
Straits  of  Gibraltar  into  the  Atlantic,  we  en- 
countered some  storms.  On  the  night  of  July  29 
there  was  a  great  storm  on  the  Ocean,  and  for 
more  than  two  hours  the  sea  roared  like  thunder, 
while  the  great  waves  looked  like  small  moun- 
tains.   The  sight  in  the  moonlight  was  grand.  0\n 


344  PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


the  entire  trip  none  of  us  were  sick  a  moment, 
nor  did  we  miss  a  single  meal.  We  all  enjoyed  the 
voyage  immensely.  In  the  evening  of  July  31  we 
caught  the  first  sight  of  America.  Everybody  was 
excited.  What  a  thrill  of  joy  filled  our  hearts  as 
we  approached  the  shores  of  our  beloved  homeland, 
' '  the  land  of  the  free,  and  the  home  of  the  brave '  ^ ! 
We  remained  all  night  out  in  New  York  Harbor. 
At  3  P.  M.,  on  August  1,  we  set  foot  on  American 
soil,  having  been  exactly  thirty  days  on  the  jour- 
ney from  Beirut  to  New  York: 

Brother  Blewitt-met  us  at  the  docks;  and  after 
passing  our  trunks  and  small  baggage  through  the 
customs  offices  we  were  soon  enjoying  the  comforts 
of  the  Missionary  Home.  There  was  a  meeting 
that  night  at  which  both  my  wife  and  I  spoke  on 
Syria.  The  next  day  we  left  by  train  for  Vander- 
grift,  Pa.,  where  we  remained  and  visited  friends 
for  seven  days.  While  at  Vandergrift,  Brother 
Ast,  the  pastor,  arranged  two  services  for  us,  and 
we  spoke  on  Syria  and  our  work  there.  On  August 
10  we  arrived  at  Warsaw,  Ind.,  where  our  children 
met  us,  and  conveyed  us  to  their  homes  near  Akron. 
What  a  joyous  reunion  after  an  absence  of  two 
years,  eight  months,  and  three  days!  On  Sunday, 
August  12,  we  held  services  at  Akron  and  Athens, 
Ind.  The  home  churches  gave  us  a  great  welcome. 
We  at  once  began  to  lay  our  plans  to  do  both  local 
and  general  evangelistic  work;  for  on  our  arrival 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


345 


we  found  a  host  of  calls  for  meetings  from  all 
parts  of  the  United  States. 

THE  GREAT  RESPONSIBILITY  AND  WORK  OF  THE  CHURCH 

God  has  made  complete  provision  for  the  sal- 
vation of  ail  mankind  through  Jesus  Christ.  The 
(yhristian  era  is  preeminently  the  dispensation  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  the  most  propitious  age  of  the 
grace  of  God  to  humanity  the  world  has  ever 
seen  ot  ever  will '  see.  We  are  now  living  in  the 
"last  days,"  the  "time  of  the  end,"  the  ^'last 
time,"  and  upon  us  has  fallen  "the  ends  of  the 
world"— the  "full  end  of  the  ages."  With  the  clos- 
ing of  this  dispensation,  time  will  end,  eternity  with 
its  destinies  will  be  meted  out  to  all  men,  and 
opportunity  will  be  a  thing  of  the  past. 

The  burden  of  carrying  the  message  of  saving 
truth  to  the  dying  millions  of  earth  is  the  work  of 
the  church.  Jesus  Christ  clearly  placed  this  re- 
sponsibility upon  our  shoulders.  We  can  not 
evade  it  nor  otfer  a  lawful  excuse  at  the  judgment 
for  the  non-performance  of  this  duty.  "Go  ye  mio 
all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature/^  "Go  .  .  .  teach  all  nations,'^  This  final 
and  solemn  charge  belongs  to  the  church  as  a 
whole.  Every  saint  of  God  must  feel  the  burden 
of  it.  Every  disciple  of  Christ  must  do  his  part 
in  the  carrying  out  and  performing  of  it. 

This  is  a  debt  that  we  owe.  The  very  life  and 
root  of  true  religion  is  personal  devotion  to  Christ. 


346 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


Then  Christ's  interests  become  ours,  and  the  re- 
sult is  active  service  in  his  cause.  We  have  re- 
ceived mercy  from  him,  and  we  owe  it  to  men. 
The  world's  apathy  does  not  release  our  obliga- 
tion. When  God  gave  us  salvation  and  the  true 
light  of  the  gospel,  it  was  not  for  us  alone,  but 
for  the  family  of  mankind,  of  which  we  are  mem- 
bers. Every  saved  man  is  a  trustee  of  the  gospel 
for  the  whole  world,  and  is  in  honor  bound  to  see 
that  the  world  gets  it.  It  is  not  a  debt  because 
of  something  received  from  them,  but  for  them. 
You  see,  the  gospel  is  delivered  to  us  to  impart 
to  mankind,  and  thus  we  owe  it  to  them.  Some 
one  became  interested  in  us,  and  if  he  had  not 
we  should  be  lost  today,  and  possibly  be  in  hell. 
We  must  show  a  deep  interest  in  others.  This  is 
the  true  spirit  of  vital  religion;  it  is  the  life  of 
the  church.  When  we  as  a  church  lack  this  in- 
terest we  are  dying  or  are  dead.  The  spirit  of 
true  Christianity  is  unselfish;  it  is  ready  to  share 
with  others. 

It  is  high  time  we  waked  up  to  our  responsibil- 
ity, and  settled  down  to  our  life's  work  as  a 
church— evangelize  the  world.  Paul  embarked  all 
in  this  one  business,  then  pushed  it  to  the  utter- 
most. Our  liabilities  are  increasing  every  day, 
and  we  must  pay  with  all  our  might,  or  the  judg- 
ment will  overtake  us  heavily  in  debt.  Then  it 
will  be  too  late  to  pay.  Other  nations  are  no 
longer  afar  off.    Modem  science  has  brought  them 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


347 


to  our  door.  This  is  the  day  of  democracy.  The 
few  have  had  their  time,  and  now  the  right  of 
every  person,  class,  and  nation  is  coming  to  the 
front.  The  plaintive  cry  is  coming  from  every 
direction,  ''Come  over  and  help  us."  Ministers 
must  feel  it  enough  to  consecrate  to  go  anywhere, 
everywhere,  and  to  endure  and  suffer.  They  must 
give  their  whole  time  to  the  work.  The  church  as 
a  w'hole  must  feel  it  enough  to  consecrate  their 
all,  their  means,  and  by  actual  practise  put  it  to 
working  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel. 

All  nations  are  like  a  mountain  range;  the  peaks 
are  parted  from  each  other  by  certain  bounds, 
but  at  the  base  all  rise  from  one  formation.  We 
have  one  Father,  we  are  of  one  blood,  and  are  a 
common  brotherhood.  Then,  ''love  thy  neighbor 
as  thyself."  In  nature  about  us  nothing  lives  to 
itself.  The  sun  emits  the  light,  heat,  and  life  of 
the  universe.  The  result  is  the  birds  sing,  the  corn 
ripens,  and  the  trees  bear  fruit.  Fire  gives  out 
heat,  and  the  June  rose  sends  forth  a  sweet  aroma. 
How  then  can  we  enjoy  the  rich  blessings  of 
heaven  and  act  selfishly  about  it?  "There  is  that 
scattereth,  and  yet  increaseth;  and  there  is  that 
which  withholdeth  more  than  is  meet,  but  it 
tendeth  to  poverty."  The  blessing  of  salvation 
is  lost  in  concealment;  but  its  rich  grace  will  in- 
crease on  our  hands  if  we  begin  to  sacrifice  and 
give  out  freely. 

0  brethren,  think  of  it:  every  two  seconds,  three 


348 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


people  die!  Taking  it  the  world  around,  90  per- 
sons die  every  minute  on  the  average  of  5,400 
each  hour,  129,600  each  day,  907,200  a  week,  3,888,- 
000  a  month,  and  about  47,304,000  each  year. 
What  a  constant  flow  of  human  souls  into  eternity ! 
Multitudes  without  hope!  We  shall  meet  this  host 
at  the  judgment.  Shall  we  then  feel  clear  that 
we  have  done  our  whole  duty,  our  very  best  to 
save  these  lost  millions  I 

God  is  calling  out  a  clean  people  and  church 
from  the  world  and  apostate  religions  in  these 
last  days.  It  is  the  restoration  of  primitive  Chris- 
tianity. It  is  a  distinct  movement  in  the  earth, 
God's  work.  The  church  of  God  in  the  evening- 
light  reformation  represents  to  the  world  Chris- 
tianity in  its  pristine  unity,  power,  glory,  and 
clearness.  Sectarian  religions  do  not  properly 
represent  the  true  religion  of  the  Bible.  They  are 
doing  a  noble  work  along  educational  lines;  but 
their  people  usually  remain  more  or  less  in  spir- 
itual darkness.  Eeal  salvation  work  among  them 
is  on  a  very  low  plane.  How  can  it  be  otherwise! 
Just  one  example  of  many  I  will  here  mention: 

On  our  return  home  from  Beirut,  on  the  same 
boat  were  a  number  of  missionaries.  Some  of 
them  ate  at  our  table.  Both  men  and  women 
smoked  cigarets  and  ordered  their  bottles  of  beer 
regularly.  One  old,  gray-haired  missionary  who 
had  labored  twenty-seven  years  in  Asia  Minor, 
and  had  a  wife  and  daughter  in  America,  was  re- 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD 


349 


turning  home  on  furlough.  I  saw  him  dance  on 
the  deck,  play  cards,  and  waltz  two  young  girls, 
and  promenade  the  deck  at  night  linked  arms  with 
them.  How  can  such  missionaries  save  the  world? 
I  have  seen  enough  on  the  foreign  fields  to  make 
my  heart  sick.  Of  course,  all  missionaries  are 
not  like  that. 

We  can  not  depend  upon  sectarian  religionists 
to  do  this  great  work.  They  will  never  do  it.  I 
am  frank  to  say  that  the  salvation  and  enlighten- 
ment of  the  world  in  the  clear  truths  of  the  gos- 
pel, the  bringing  of  them  to  an  experimental,  vital 
religion,  is  the  work  of  the  church  of  God  in  this 
blessed  evening  light.  Ours  is  a  tremendous  task; 
but  God  in  his  goodness  has  laid  it  upon  us  as  a 
people,  and  we  are  able,  by  the  power  of  the 
Spirit,  to  accomplish  the  work.  Our  field  is  'Hhe 
WORLD/'  The  harvest  is  great  and  ripe,  and  God 
is  calling  the  entire  church  into  action.  Will  we 
arise  to  the  task  before  us!  ^'A  little  one  shall 
become  a  thousand,  and  a  small  one  a  strong  na- 
tion." We  can  succeed  if  there  is  united  action. 
The  entire  church  must  cooperate,  every  member 
must  work.  It  is  time  now,  today,  for  the  whole 
church  whom  the  Lord  has  gathered  into  the  trans- 
plendent light  of  full  salvation  to  leap  into  the 
ranks  and  all  move  forward  together  ^ '  like  an 
army  with  banners.'' 

What  can  we  do!  We  can  accomplish  great  things 
if  we  will.   Suppose  there  are  fifty  thousand  saints 


350 


PIONEER  EVANGELISM 


out  in  the  clear  light  of  the  gospel,  and  each  of 
these  would  give  regularly  2  cents  a  day  for  home 
and  foreign  missions,  we  should  have  $365,000  for 
general  evangelizing  each  year.  Think  of  it!  Just 
2  cents  a  day  will  do  this.  But  we  can  just  as 
easily  give  double  that  amount  on  the  average. 
Only  28  cents  a  week  on  the  average  among  fifty 
thousand  saints  in  one  year  amounts  to  $730,000. 
Suppose  there  are  one  hundred  thousand  saints 
out  in  the  clear  light.  This,  I  should  think,  would 
be  a  conservative  estimate.  Then  the  amount  for 
home  and  foreign  missions  would  mount  to  $1,460,- 
000.  People  spend  more  than  this  amount  for  ice- 
cream, candy,  and  knickknacks. 

I  am  informed  that  not  more  than  one  fourth  of 
our  congregations  in  the  United  States  gave  regu- 
larly to  the  foreign  missionary  work  in  the  year 
1922.  I  speak  conservatively  when  I  say  that, 
while  we  were  in  Syria,  had  we  had  the  money 
we  really  needed  to  devjelop  the  work,  we  could 
have  accomplished  twice  as  much  as  we  did.  Our 
greatest  hindrance  was  lack  of  means.  I  grant 
that  our  experience  was  no  different  from  that  of 
other  missionaries  in  other  fields.  A  systematic 
effort  on  the  part  of  all  the  church  can  easily  raise 
sufficient  means  to  carry  the  message  of  saving 
truth  to  every  part  of  the  globe.  As  a  church  and 
ministry,  let  us  get  a  broader  view  of  our  work, 
a  greater  vision  of  the  field  and  our  responsibility 
to  the  rest  of  mankind,  and  then  with  enthusiasin 


ON  THE  MISSION  FIELD  351 

and  determination  rise  to  the  task  before  us;  and, 
thank  God,  we  can  succeed. 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

BOOKS 

Man,  His  Present  and  Future  $0.75 

Christian  Baptism   _  75 

The  Sabbath  and  the  Lord's  Day    .75 

The  Christian  Church,  Its  Rise  and  Progress   1.00 

Roman  Catholicism     .75 

Christ's  Kingdom  and  Reign     1.00 

Christ's  Second  Coming  „   1.00 

BOOKLETS 

Hell  and  Everlasting  Punishment  SO.  10 

Christ's  Triumphant  Reign  —  05 

The  Sabbath      ,  -  _    .05 

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